In 1949, rugby union was forbidden in the USSR during the "fight against the cosmopolitanism".
[3] Moldova had its own rugby team in the USSR, but it was not treated as a proper national side.
Perhaps surprisingly, the popularity of rugby in Moldova is growing rapidly, with well over 10,000 fans regularly turning up to their home matches in the European Nations Cup.
Since 2004, the number of Moldovan rugby players has more than doubled, due to the national team's growing international reputation.
Rugby union in Romania is quite a major sport, going back ninety years, and as Moldova shares language and a border with Romania, this has helped its popularity in the country.