CSM Știința Baia Mare, commonly referred to as Știința Baia Mare (Romanian pronunciation:[ʃtiintsabaiamare]), is a Romanian professional rugby union club based in Baia Mare that competes in the Liga de Rugby Kaufland, Romania's top division of rugby.
History
Originally founded in 1977 as Racemin Baia Mare, Știința Baia Mare quickly rose to prominence in the Romanian rugby scene. Despite encountering formidable competition from clubs such as Steaua București and Dinamo București, Baia Mare solidified its position as a dominant force in the Romanian rugby championship.
The pinnacle of their early success came in the 1980–81 season when they clinched their first tournament victory, the Romanian Cup, in a thrilling match against Dinamo București, which left the local fans in Baia Mare ecstatic. Building on this momentum, Baia Mare secured their inaugural Romanian championship in the 1989–90 season, during what is often regarded as the golden era of Romanian rugby throughout the 1980s.
However, sustaining their initial success proved challenging, and Baia Mare experienced a period of fluctuating fortunes. They managed to add two more Romanian Cup trophies to their cabinet in 1990 and 1999, respectively, but significant championship titles eluded them until 2009 when they clinched their second championship title, two decades after their first.
In the subsequent years, Știința Baia Mare regained their dominance in Romanian rugby, winning the championship four times within the last decade. However, unlike in previous years, they faced stiff competition from USV Timișoara during their championship campaigns.
(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. * denotes players qualified to play for Romania on residency or dual nationality.
