Which is why my Hoplite buffs are less to do with their defense and shield, more to do with the phalanx formation stat multiplier
As for the Romans, I really haven't seen much issues with them, I've run some observe games (me with 1 general unit, and two AI armies fighting) I've seen the Romans have several victories, and several defeats. They still do have higher attack value than most other units too, it was just nerfed by one or two points, it's not like I threw praetorian guards below naked warriors.
Edit: I was looking around in the melee weapons, and the celtic longsword is rather ridiculous in terms of damage, so I've brought it down a bit, just to make it (and a few other weapons) more balanced in regards to the melee stat changes.