As we mentioned in the first part, these are the players that our editors think should pay special attention to. The players are not necessarily the best, but they are absolutely crucial for their clubs and the national team. Also, we want to point out that rugby is not just about fluffy highlight moves, there is a lot to do in the match itself that you may not see in the short clips, but are very important things for the game plan itself. You certainly won’t see the good lateral movements of the defensive line in a shortened video, nor the effort that every scrum or tackle requires, or every contact. Also, the order in the article is random, it does not represent any ranking. However, it was extremely interesting and fun for us to write this article, so we hope that it will cause positive reactions in you as well. Enjoy.
Alen Ćosović
YOB: 1988.
Position: flanker, number 8
Height: 182cm
Weight: 95kg
A girl for everything! That’s the best three-word description. The player from whom the most was asked and demanded in the past period. Let’s just remember the beginning of the last cycle in Conference 2 South, when Serbia was severely weakened in the position of hooker. Then Allen was asked to throw the ball into the lineout. He accepted a huge responsibility and did the job successfully. Don’t forget that we went to Sofia and lost 14-11, and we were competitive until the very end of the game, where it could have easily happened and we won. It was in that match that he was perhaps the best individual, one of the most deserving of why the Bulgarians fought until the very end.
Allen’s original position is the third line, where he does very well in every position. A player who is extremely penetrating and solid in contact. Like all trained players, he uses contact in a very useful and smart way. Like all trained players, he uses contact in a very useful and smart way. He chooses space, uses buffer and low center of gravity exceptionally, changes direction quickly and well and makes good decisions. You can also demand more complex movements from him in an open game. He especially liked Milović’s game system in the national team, where he played a lot of good games. When you have Allen in your team look to maximize his exceptional positioning, once he breaks through the defensive line he is very hard to stop as he is very quick.
In statics, it is extremely effective and efficient. As we have already stated, he was required to do part of the job of the hooker, in the form of passing the ball. It may be new for him, but when the pier is formed, he already feels very comfortable there. There are good ones for minor and when he is on the ball the action usually ends with an try. We would like to see when the action from the car is created for him, I think he would be extremely dangerous in such a game. He is decorated with excellent positioning in the scrum when he plays on the wing, he actively participates in pushing, he is able to react very quickly when the ball leaves the scrum and gain an advantage over the opponent.
A collective player in positional defense, he rarely falls out of the set system. His specialty is when the assistant puck is in the early phase of the ruck, then he uses good footwork to push past the opposing player in the ruck. Precisely because of this style of play, the opponent is forced to use more players in securing the ruck, which implies a smaller number of free players in the field. He slows down the opponent’s attack by pushing constructively in the defense.
Velibor Srećković
YOB: 1990.
Position: wing
Height: 182cm
Weight: 96kg
Velibor is one of the key figures of Partizan Rugby Club and winning four consecutive titles. If we could choose a player who has been the most consistent over the past four seasons, it would be him. A player who always meets expectations, and often exceeds them. He provided such games this spring against Andorra and Bosnia and Herzegovina. When you see coach Mišel Milović walking quickly with a smile on his face and strangely outstretched arms, whispering something in French under his chin, you know that he got the player he was dreaming about. A physically dominant wing who handles 1v1 situations with ease.
Velibor’s main characteristic is speed and strength in contact. The largest number of missed tackles in the Serbian Championship was made on him. Exceptional physical strength, especially in the upper torso, prevents you from landing high. When you add to that excellent technique and use of pads in contact, along with quick changes of direction and explosiveness, then you get a player who makes a real difference on the field. When he gets the ball in space at full speed, he is simply unstoppable. Both at the Championship matches and at the National Team matches.
If you still decide to tacle low, you will have the same problems there. With good positioning and good footwork, Velibor sets himself up so that several players from the opposing team take part in the knockdown. Why is that important? Because he binds several opposing players to himself, and creates space for his teammates. Modern collective contact sport is based on creating space. We have seen quite a few times in the past few seasons how three, four and five players are attached to Velibor, where after a fast ball the ball develops further into space. What we would like to see are actions that are created and built so that Velibor gets the ball in space and in a full run.
What makes him particularly dangerous is that he offers offloads to teammates in contact. And now imagine that you have a player who ties a couple of opponents to himself and adds an offload to the next player while he is in full acceleration. Indefensible. Excellent in defense, where he perfectly defends space with his lateral movements. He is deadly on the counter attack, where he punishes every poorly executed tactical shot. When you want to maximize your strengths in a sport like rugby, one of the most important things is positioning in both defense and attack. Where you can put yourself in a pretty good position with an adequate and timely setup. This is exactly what makes Velibor dominant in the game.
Uros Jončić
YOB: 1991.
Position: Hooker
Height 178cm
Weight: 96kg
A hidden gem of Serbian rugby. If Humphrey Bogart were alive, he would certainly be looking for him in one of his films. It may sound pompous, but it really is. Last fall, the Serbian national team had a hard time with the ticket holders. Don’t forget that the coach of Serbia, Mišel Milović, has a flair for discovering talents in new positions. Although a lot of people were skeptical if Uroš could withstand the pressure and do the job in the new position, because it is a position in the front line after all. He really succeeded in that, he was up to the task against Turkey, and Serbia unexpectedly got additional quality in the scorer position. After all, it was not by chance that we recorded three victories in the last cycle.
Perfect balance of speed and power for the position he plays. His greatest characteristic is his exceptional efficiency in attack, where he uses all the space he is given. Excellent body position in contact, extremely stable and strong, very safe ball carrier. As such, he is extremely penetrating, which represents a double danger for the opponent, because he is dangerous in penetration and, in addition, he binds several players to himself, where he leaves space for his teammates to continue the action. Great for playing in and around ruck He has a killer instinct, a perfect sense of space and for scoring tries.
Defensively oriented player. Excellent in defensive positioning around the ruck and in open play. Aggressive in tackle. Very dangerous as an assistant tackler, where he often pushes past the opponent and wins the ball for his team. We would like him to focus more on stealing the ball in ruck, as we think he has the perfect body position and footwork to pull it off.
He is excellent in statics, especially in the scrum. RK Rad and Serbia have got a man who can play with great quality and power in the position of hooker. When you have control of the scrum, you have control of possession, and without the ball you cannot score points. This is exactly where Uroš’s quality can be seen, where he always exerts static pressure on the opponent. Don’t forget that he is a long-time playing various position in back, so he is extremely mobile and able to run the more demanding game plans that are put in front of him.
Predrag Keglić
YOB: 1996.
Position: Number 8, flanker, center
Height: 190cm
Weight: 94кkg
Predrag Keglić is a high-tempo player. His primary position is the third line of the scrum, where he can handle all positions, but he is extremely lethal in the central positions as well. He has excellent technique, especially in the race with the ball, where he makes good decisions at a high pace. He is extremely difficult to guard, because he changes direction quickly before contact and in most cases comes out of contact as the winner. Considering that he is a scrum player, when he plays in the central positions, he is extremely effective in crunch ball situations, when he is able to tie several defenders to himself, which opens up additional space. Although Predrag Keglić is only 26 years old, he has enviable rugby experience, he has been in a national team since 2016. , he spent one season in France, and is a standard member of BRK Crvena Zvezda.
As a modern winger in the scrum, he does everything, he is trained for everything, a sweet pain for any coach. He plays within the system, he rarely improvises, even when he improvises he does it within the system. In attack, he has a wide arsenal of weapons, where he is by far the most dangerous in penetration, when he makes maximum use of his speed, height and quick change of direction. His specialty is a quick pass, when he ties up several opposing players, then immediately before contact he passes a quick ball to a teammate, or adds a timely offload when he is already in contact.
He is exceptional in statics, especially as a jumper in the lineout, where he makes good use of his jump speed and quick hands. He is always safe on a lineaur jump, trained to be a mobile jumper. He is especially lethal on the defensive outside, where he is able to win the ball with a timely reaction. We would like to see more actions from our third line when the stopper picks up the ball from the scrum, then we think that Keglić in combination with scrumhalf could create lightning actions. We would also like to see actions in the attack when the shot goes to him, because we think he is exceptional in the jump and can win the ball and the space from the shot.
He is excellent in defense, he does every task at a high level. We must single out that it stands out especially when the defense plays a blitz run and when pressure is put on the opponent’s offensive line. Then he effectively wins space in the attack and forms the opponent to retreat back. His defensive technique is perfect, so he often wins the ball when he gets the chance. With Keglic on the team, you can plan a wide assortment of attacks. When he is in the team, Mišel Milović can boast of a peaceful and carefree sleep.
Nemanja Stošić
YOB: 2002.
Position: center
Height: 182cm
Weight: 94кkg
Nemanja is one of the young players who managed to fight and stand up in RK Rad. And not only that, he became a regular member of the Serbian national team in rugby 15 and rugby 7, where he had the opportunity to gain much-needed experience. It is always difficult for a young player to find himself in the center position, because a lot is always expected from the center, but Nemanja successfully responded to every challenge. In all sports, special emphasis is placed on the development of young players, where they need space and time, but Nemanja seems to have flown through several seasons and has already become one of the leaders of the Građevinari game.
When you watch the way he plays, you’ll think he’s an experienced player. Excellent positioning in the center, where he is just as lethal in creating play as he is in contact play. Although he is a young player, we must note that he is physically extremely strong and fit, which is definitely one of the reasons for Milović’s confidence in playing for the first team. Just remember the game against Bosnia and Herzegovina where the players who entered the game drastically raised the level of the game and in the end broke the opponent at a high pace. Instead of attacking, the Bosnians were forced to defend themselves.
Exceptional in contact, where he is a safe ball carrier. A trained player who is trained to encourage fast play through good presentation in contact. Speed, technique and strength allow him to often break through the opponent’s defense line. In those situations, he has an excellent overview of the game where the experience gained in the younger categories comes to the fore, he is able to make the best decision that results in winning space or scoring.
In defense, he is excellent, especially in knocking down and around the ruck, where his specialty is pushing past the opponent and winning the ball. In modern rugby the trend is not to have a lot of players in the ruck, where you hope for a quick ruck and a quick ball. The biggest problem in that game is when you have an opponent who runs past your players and wins the ball. That is Nemanja’s specialty. We would like it if he would be even more aggressive in defense, if the defense line would quickly close the space with the so-called blitz rush, where they would force the defender to panic and improvise.
Nemanja has an excellent shot, where he takes penalty kicks and converts tries for Rad. He also has an excellent tactical shot, which we think he should use more, because he has exceptional technique and anticipation, where pressure on the ball could create an excellent situation. For us, Nemanja is one of the most complete young players with a bright future ahead of him.
