Gontineac was introduced to rugby by his father at the age of six. He began his senior career with
Universitatea Cluj in Romania (1993–96) and then played for
South Western Districts in South Africa. He subsequently moved to
France, where he played for
FC Grenoble (1996–97),
Section Paloise (1997–98), and
Aurillac (1998–2010), concluding his playing career there. He earned 76 caps for
Romania, scoring 13 tries for a total of 68 points. He played in every match for Romania in four
Rugby World Cups: 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. He also captained his country on several occasions. In May 2010, Gontineac was appointed head coach of the Romanian national team, replacing France's
Serge Lairle. He brought in former All Black
Steve McDowall as his assistant coach during the qualifiers for the
2011 Rugby World Cup. Romania qualified but had a disappointing tournament. In January 2020, he was named head coach of
Pro D2 side
Aurillac. == Personal life ==