The story of Romania's Mariana Lucescu: The Stejarii ‘Madame Rugby’

In celebration of Women's History Month, RugbyPass are sharing the stories of influential women in rugby, including the remarkable story of Romania's Mariana Lucescu.

What do Chan Yuen Ting, Julianne Sitch, and Autumn Lockwood, all have in common? They won a championship while coaching a men’s team. Whether in football, basketball, or handball, those coaches have destroyed barriers and inspired a generation of women to believe anything was possible with work, belief and dedication.

But did you know that long before those aforementioned names, a female rugby coach was lifting Romanian junior national championships in the 1970s? Lucescu dedicated her whole career to promoting sport, having herself been a handball, basketball and volleyball player.

Having lived in Pantelimon, a neighbourhood just outside Bucharest, Lucescu's relationship with rugby started early as her father had played for Viforul Dacia Bucuresti.

Little is known about her upbringing and origins, but  Lucescui would obtain her sports coach diploma in the 1950s and would earn a second degree specialising in rugby. She would marry Dan Lucescu, who himself was a rugby player and referee.

The information about her doings between the 1950s and the early 1970s is little to none, but we do know three things: she was a rigorous teacher; she loved rugby; and she wanted to change people’s lives.

From the tales shared by her former students, Lucescu loved teaching and educating the young, course-correcting those who were slipping into a life of misdemeanours and misbehaviour. This would lead to her being nicknamed the ‘Iron Lady’. Although she possessed the iron façade of someone who was strict and tough, she was also focused on helping others to win in life.

In the 1960s she was placed in what was, at the time, the only school in the Pantelimon neighbourhood, and quickly made an impact, starting with the sixth grade, who were a rowdy bunch. In a short time, she was able to discipline the children through the power of sports, with rugby playing a significant role in that end.

For that, she took her students to an open meadow located next to the school and started educating them in the ways of the oval-shaped ball – it would later become an artificial lake. Slowly, but steadily, Lucescu made several breakthroughs and became a popular coach, teaching rugby not only in one school but in two, with Clubul Sportiv Scolar nr. 2 being the second one. It was in this institution that her legend would grow to an unprecedented level, helping to shape the future of the Stejarii, Romania’s national senior side.

In a matter of a few years, Lucescu developed a series of formidable and passionate athletes who not only turned their lives around on the rugby pitch but also in their personal and professional lives. Lucescu had the desire to push those younglings to become something greater and to pursue not only a better life but to win in it as well.

Winning and shaping a proud generation of Oaks

And win she did… more precisely in 1973. In the summer of that year, the men's National Junior Rugby Championship would be won by Lucescu and her disciples of the Clubul Sportiv Scolar nr. 2, defeating the super popular Clubului Sportiv Scolar Bucuresti in the final.

Cornel Munteanu, former Stejarii who debuted against Italy in 1940, was the coach of a team packed with talents like Enicu Stoica, Ion Zafiescu and Gheorge Dinu, players who had helped Romania win the U19 IRB Cup of 1973!

The final was played in the mythical Olympia Stadium in Bucharest in front of thousands of fans, a common sight at the time, as the Stejarii were a popular sports team.

Modesto Ferrari, a reporter working for the Romanian newspaper ‘Sportul’ wrote the following in his match report:

“The players of this team [Clubul Sportiv Scolar nr. 2] showed vigour, knowledge, and determination to become champions! Their attack form was well-organized and were the dominant side for the first 65 minutes. (...) 

“The Clubului Sportiv Scolar Bucuresti gave their best in the last ten minutes, but they couldn't overcome a team who defended with excellence. Last year's champions still scored in the end, but Sports School nr. 2 were the new champions. A deserved success for these young players and their coach Marianei Lucescu, who defeated such a strong team."

This victory would provoke a paradoxical reaction in the rugby community, one that would ultimately push Lucescu out of the sport after some years of fighting against the system. While in France reporters and sports aficionados fell in love with her merits, in Romania it sprung envy and anger from her male counterparts.

While in Romania she was labelled the ‘Iron Lady’ among other things, in France she was dubbed the ‘Madame Rugby’. Being the first ever female coach to lead a men’s team to a junior national title was seen as something special, drawing the attention of foreign eyes.

What is certain is that Lucescu didn’t stop trying to get better. She kept teaching new students how to play rugby and would develop some of the best Romanian internationals of all time such as Mircea Paraschiv, Teodorin Tudose, Nicolae Cioarec and Dumitru Alexandru. For many, these names don’t ring any bells, but Paraschiv and Alexandru helped Romania defeat France in 1982, which was their last victory over Les Bleus.

Between 1973 and 1976, Lucescu would win four national junior championships with her the Clubul Sportiv Scolar nr. 2, creating a dynasty of winners not only in sports but also in life.

It might not seem that big nowadays, but for a female coach to take a group of boys and lead them to not just win, but to win in such a big way in the 1970s was of a seismic dimension. She challenged the ‘world’ without thinking twice, even if it meant being shunned by everyone else.

In 1987, she attempted to leave her country by legal terms and join her husband in France, who had defected to that country some years before. The Romanian dictatorship led by Nicolae Ceausescu prevented that from happening. There’s no explanation why her husband fled, or what happened to the coach after that moment. 

Unfortunately, it seems that most lost track of her whereabouts until 1999, when Lucescu passed away. She lived her last years in self-isolation, as reported by Romanian outlets and the Romanian Rugby Union, far away from teaching or the rugby fields.

But we can take solace in the fact that she was posthumously fondly remembered by her students and players. In an event that took place on the 10th of June of 2023, players from many generations flocked to the General School nr. 1 of Pantelimon to celebrate her life and her accomplishments. 

A golden bust was revealed in the presence Romanian notables like Alin Petrache, Marin Ionescu, Marian Ivan and many others, who wanted to pay their respects to someone who made a difference. The Romanian Union named one of the main training fields of the Arcul de Triumf as 'Marianei Lucescu field', and the Sports Minister awarded her the title of sports coach.

The unveiling of a golden bust of Marianei Lucescu in 2023. Credit: Marin Florian/Rugby Romania.

Because of Lucescu, Romania was able to find some of their best talents of all time, but she would also inspire others to continue her work, with Dumitru Sterian taking the reigns after her and founding a club in Pantelimon.

We might not know what Lucescu's tactics were, what she did between 1976 and the 1990s, or if she had any secrets in the art of teaching, but we do know the impact she had in the lives of those who were coached and taught by her.

Her legacy lives on, and even if the rugby world lost track of who was this inspiring coach who still collects praises from former students (they also confide that she was steely rigorous!), the Stejarii soul will always be dyed in what Lucescu believed: work, passion and winning.

If you want to find out more about Mariana Lucescu, Rugby Romania with sports journalist Octavian Pescaru have produced a documentary about her life. It was shown in TVR Sport.