Irish standing firm without any support

Here, the scalpers kiss you on the cheek. "Billet," they say. "You want ticket?" They hang outside the gates of Steaua's sprawling stadium, lolling in the heat with Bucharest's street children. There is World Cup soccer fever. Tomorrow evening, Romania host Hungary in Steaua's 60,000 stadium. It is, of course, a sell-out. It is the only game in town.

Ireland's first rugby session takes place in the shadow of the famous arena. Painted bleachers for around 2,000 people accommodate Steaua's rugby fan base. Few turn up to watch.

The dimly-remembered draw that Romania achieved in Lansdowne Road back in 1980 still matters in local rugby lore. Mircea Parashiv, the national coach, crashed home for a try that day. The sport is weaker now but reports of Romania's recent unsettlement are not necessarily accurate, reckons Daniel Costea, the former international who now coaches Steaua, the city's military team.

"Against Georgia (who beat Romania 31-20 in April), it was a case of us losing the game. There had been indiscipline among the players that just exploded in that match. So against Ireland, we want to show that Georgia was an accident, that we can play modern rugby and can attract spectators to the ground. What the final score is doesn't really matter."

When New Zealand came to Bucharest, 15,000 turned out. If Warren Gatland's famed countrymen command that modest crowd, then his charges can only hope for around 5,000 tomorrow afternoon.

"It's going to be strange and it is another aspect that makes it hard for the players, that they won't have the huge Irish following behind them," acknowledges the Irish coach.

"But look . . . we have discussed this, trying to bury the ghosts of Irish rugby whereby we follow a good win with a poor performance and struggle against teams we should be beating well. That's what this trip is all about - emphasising the fact that we are a professional outfit."

Both teams are due to announce their squads this morning and Gatland has heard that the allegedly missing French based players will, in fact, be around for the home side.

Not that he is too worried. Gatland desires the strongest possible opposition. Anyway, it is enjoyable to be running sessions under sunshine in this friendly and oddly beautiful country, where Gatland finds himself bridging the strangest of seasons. The details are simple; heavy on the sunscreen, light on the feet and fast with the ball. The cheering comes later.