As far as we are concerned, we can safely say that the 2nd grade will never be more interesting and never more interesting. That is exactly why we will dedicate one article to the clubs that applied for the competition. We will consider how much potential they have, where we are primarily interested in young players and their progress. However, this competition is, among other things, also of a developmental nature, where we will have the opportunity to follow the development of a large number of talents that are very interesting indeed.
How was last season in 2nd grade?
Last season was quite turbulent as far as the 2nd is concerned. At the very beginning, it is planned to hold 6 tournaments, three in the spring and three in the autumn part of the season. In the spring part of the season, only one tournament was played, while two were cancelled, because there were no teams to play in them. All three planned tournaments were played in the fall. And the impressions from those tournaments are very positive, so we have every right to write about how this season will be very interesting.
Before the beginning of the last season, 6 teams were registered. Of those 6, only 4 took part during the season, namely: RK Kruševac, RK Loznica, RK Rad 2 and RK Vojvodina. Vojvodina and Kruševac are the only teams that participated in all 4 tournaments. Loznica performed at 2, while the other Rada team performed at only one. Although Vojvodina was convincing in the first tournament, in the autumn part of the season, the people of Kruševac stepped up, so that in the last tournament we had a decisive game, which decided who would win the title of 2nd grade competition. In the end, Vojvodina won 19-12 and took the trophy to Novi Sad.
What will the new season look like?
As we have already mentioned in the article related to the competition system in the 2023 season, 7 tournaments are planned. Four tournaments will be held in the spring and 3 in the autumn part of the season. The 2nd grade competition has been played in a tournament format of rugby 10 for many years. The most ideal would be to play 15-a-side rugby, however this is not a realistic option because the clubs do not have a sufficient number of players to get through the whole season. Somehow 10-a-side rugby is the most optimal as far as the current situation is concerned, and it is not burdensome for the clubs.
Who all signed up for the competition?
A total of 6 clubs applied for the competition, namely: RK Kruševac, RK Rad 2, RK Vojvodina, RK Dorćol 1998, RK Loznica and BRK Crvena Zvezda. If the clubs want to remain in the ranking at the end of the season, they must participate in a minimum of 4 tournaments. The team that collects the most points at the end of the season wins the B League of the Serbian Championship.
What will the clubs look like in the 2023 season?
RK Vojvodina
Guys from Novi Sad are the defenders of the trophy and without a doubt one of the favorites of the competition. A team that participated in the Serbian Championship 1st grade for many years and successfully finished the competition. Since last season, they have been participating in the 2nd grade, where they have performed in all tournaments so far. In the new season, we can expect Vojvodina to perform in all tournaments and fight for the highest ranking. The reason why they play 2nd grade is because they did not have enough pool of active players to last the season. That’s exactly why 2nd grade is good for them, because they can maintain continuity and progress as players without any problems.
The team from Novi Sad has a lot of potential in almost all positions in the team. Although they have a very experienced team, there are also a few young guys who are diligently gathering experience. The biggest disadvantage of Vojvodina is that they don’t have junior categories and they don’t have an influx of educated and young players into the senior team. If they dreamed of having youngsters to fill the already existing squad, we believe that they would be at the very top of domestic rugby.
Guys from Novi Sad have a lot to brag about. They have two Serbian national team members in their ranks. There is Dušan Jocić, a lock, who is a regular part of the Serbian national team under Mišel Milović. There is also Rajko Janković, who covers the full-back and wing positions, and has made several appearances for Serbia in the last two years. Players of this caliber can definitely make a big difference on the field, especially in 2nd grade. However, Dušan announced a break and Rajko announced that he will retire. Hopefully the call of rugby will change their minds.
Among the younger ones, we have above all the Janićijević brothers, who play in the first line of the scrum. There is also a team of young players from Ruma, who made several appearances for the first team. Among the players who are entering their best years, Vojvodina can also boast of the Montenegrin national team member, Aljoša Marinković, who can successfully cover positions in the center and on the wings. Former national team player Luka Rakita, who is one of the most dominant ball carrier players in Serbia, but we will wait for him for a while until he recovers from the operation. We expect a lot this season from Ljubomir Đerić, who covers the center and wing positions. We also can’t wait to see the duo that will manage and create Vojvodina’s game, there is Vasilije Jovanović on scrum-half and Petar Marković on fly-half.
What adorns Vojvodina is, among other things, great camaraderie and belonging to the team. That’s why you have several veterans in the team who are always there to help and take responsibility in the game. First of all, we think of Milan Milićević and Marko Novosel, whose years can no longer be counted on the fingers and toes. There are also Goran Porobić and Zoran Janjić who can cover the second and third line positions.
When Vojvodina is complete, and when it is in training, it would be a big deal for many teams from 1st grade Serbian Championship. A very high-quality team that will have extremely interesting and significant performances in the B group of the Serbian Championship in the new season.
BRK Crvena Zvezda
After who knows how many years, and most certainly for the first time since they played in the competition after the breakup of Yugoslavia, BRK Crvena Zvezda will not play in the top tier of the competition. That is, he will perform in the 2nd grade of the Serbian Championship. For some, it may be a disappointing figure, but looking at the current situation and the challenges the club is facing, it is certainly a good decision. Why is it a good decision? Quite simply, a lot of young players are slowly coming into the senior team, so the competition in the 2nd grade would be a very good competition for the development of young players. There is nothing wrong with spending a year or two in 2nd grade, consolidating the squad and giving the youngsters much-needed experience to grow into good players.
BRK Crvena Zvezda provides several Serbian national team players, first of all we think of Aleksandar Madjanović, Predrag Keglić, Aleksandar Đorđević and Ivan Rodić. The team also includes potential national team players such as Uroš Martinović, Miljan Nikolić, Anrija Panić and others. Some of the younger ones include Luka Jojić, Vukašin Vitorović and Strahinja Milošević who found their positions in the scrum. When we list the players, you will think how such a strong team can play in the2nd grade? But consider that everyone plays amateur, and that a lot of people have families and jobs and there are periods when they can’t fully commit to rugby at the level they used to be able to. This is exactly why amateur teams must have a pool of 30-35 players in order to be able to compete at a high level in the highest rank.
However, we are of the opinion that young players will have the most room for improvement in the 2nd grade. And BRK Crvena Zvezda really has them, and will only have them as time goes by. In the class of 2003, there is Igor Lučić, an all-rounder who can cover several positions in the scrum and line. Momcilo Kralj and French international Alexandre Heam are the representatives of the class of 2004. Momcilo is a promising fly-half while Aleksandre can cover the wing and full-back positions. The class of 2005 produces the very talented Dragan Kokanović, who plays in the center and wing positions, as well as Nikola Pumpalović, who covers the second and third line positions. This year, the players of the class of 2006, as they turn 17 years old, will acquire the right to play for the seniors. Here we are referring to the great talents in the scrum of Lazar Jelisavčić and Aleksa Pumpalović. This young team that we have listed is educated and has several years of rugby experience. We can’t wait to see them in action.
What can we expect from BRK Red Star in the 2nd grade competition? They are definitely one of the main favourites. What we can expect is the fight for the highest ranking and participation in all tournaments. And above all, the development of young players.
RK Kruševac
Guys from Kruševac are slowly but surely putting together a very serious team that is competing for the highest ranking in the 2nd grade. A combination of youth and experience that really gives good results. U18s team is at the very top of the U18s competition. By the way, we have come to one very interesting piece of information regarding all the players in the senior squad of Kruševac. Namely, all the players performed in the cadet and junior competition for Kruševac, were at the U18s representative camps and performed for the U18s national team of Serbia, both in official and friendly matches. All players in the senior facility are trained players with extensive playing experience.
From the young players, Kruševac has a lot to brag about. From the class of 2003, one of the best players in that year in Serbia is Jovan Krsmanović. Apart from the demi position, he can cover the wing and full back positions as needed. In the class of 2004, there is Nemanja Lazić, one of the most deadly scorers in Serbia, who plays in the center position, but can also successfully play on the wing, as well as in the third line of the scrum. Then there is Aleksa Jovanović, who plays on the wing, with exceptional physical predispositions. That’s why we think he could very easily perform in the positions of the second and third scrum line, but his speed and physicality are definitely a plus when you have such a player on the wing. One of the players who has made astronomical progress in the last two seasons is Veljko Mitić, who has definitely become a serious force in the position of the second line. Lazar Anđelković is a player who can play very well in the full-back position, and can also cover wing positions if necessary. In the class of 2005 is Matija Mladenović, an extremely mobile and agile player who plays in the post position. From the team of 2006, which this year acquires the right to play for the seniors, Kruševac has a lot to brag about. There are Anrija Janjić, Luka Đorđević and Georgios Kostopoulos, who represent the club’s bright future.
Of the experienced players who have been there for many years, Milan Bogdanović, Bogdan Mihajlović and Stefan Akcentijević play in the first line positions. In the second line are Stefan Simić and Aleksandar Totić. The fly-half is Nemanja Zdravković, who is in charge of creating and managing the Kruševac game. Slobodan and Stefan Ivković are in the center positions. While Marko Miletić plays in the wing position.
When this team combines and plays, the question is how far they will be. We absolutely think they will fight for the very top of 2nd grade. A large number of players from the younger categories have successfully integrated into the senior team.
RK Loznica
Perhaps the most positive surprise, at least for us, last season was the return of Loznica to the competition. The seniors played in the 2nc grade Championship in two tournaments and showed an excellent game. We have to admit that we missed the boys from Western Serbia in Serbian rugby. Not only because they would have another club in the competition, but because of the positive energy and camaraderie at the tournaments.
In the new season, we expect them to be among the teams that are in the upper house of the table. Green and white have an extremely strong scrum. First of all, there is Nemanja Rikalović, a former national team player, for whom the gym has become a second home this winter. He will feature in the post position but can cover almost any position in the scrum. A very strong first line will consist of Miodrag Mihailović, Boban Dželić and Nikola Radojčić. Very experienced and hardened players. In the second line, Miodrag Stojnić, who can easily fill the first line if needed, then Aleksandar Unković, who we think would achieve an enviable acting career, as well as David Maksić.
The line isn’t as strong as the scrum, but don’t think they aren’t at a high level. The creators of the game will be Đorđe Šakić who will perform in the position of demi, Dobrivoje Negić will cover the position of opener. In the central positions we have Miloš Obradović, Strahinja Pavlović, Strahinja Miloš Mitirović and Petar Isasilović. Stefan Dobrilović plays on the wing. Nikola Babić, Aleksandar Aleksić and Nemanja Petrović are on the list of injured players.
When we look at the team, we can conclude that Loznica is an extremely high-quality team. What they definitely lack is the influx of educated players from younger categories. Two seasons ago, the green and whites had three junior categories, but unfortunately they failed to connect them through juniors to senior rugby. However, a couple of lads from the class of 2006 are waiting for their debut in senior rugby, which may come as early as this season. First of all, I am thinking of the very talented demi Lazar Kupusović, and the second line players Lazar Maksimović and Luka Trifunović.
RK Dorćol 1998
The players from Dorćol certainly didn’t perform in the 2nd grade competetion for the season and half. It would be ideal for them to perform in the new season. However, they feature in both codes, both rugby league and rugby union. Which is quite exhausting. A large number of players also perform in the highest level of the competition, namely the 1st grade Serbian Championship. Very demanding even for professionals, not amateurs who play rugby for the love of it. Whenever they take part in the tournament, we can consider them as favourites.
Among the players, we must first of all single out the fantastic generation from the class of 2001 and 2002 that developed into serious rugby players. Here we are thinking of Stefan Simović, who was part of the Serbian national team against Turkey and who covers the center positions. There are Uroš Popović, Andrej Šušak and Ivan Nikolić who have grown into very good players. Among the more experienced, there is Stefan Nikolić, a player who creates attacks and from whom all actions begin. With other young players and a few veterans, the people of Belgrade can put together a very serious team for the very top of the table.
RK Rad 2
The team from Banjica has been registering a development team in the 2nd grade for many years, which we consider very important, because young players have freedom in the game, where they can develop without too much pressure of good results. Also, there are a large number of players who would like to play rugby, but not at the level of the 1st grade so playing in the 2nd grade would be ideal for them. Because who knows, maybe one day they will be drawn to rugby and want to try their hand at a higher level of competition. And you can never have enough rugby players. Also of note are a few veterans who could find their minutes.
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We will not mention the players now, nor who will perform for the development team, because we will dedicate an entire article to the Rada team that is playing in the A group of the Serbian Championship. Placement in the competition depends mainly on the choice of players who will play for the reserve team, because the Builders can field a very strong squad made up of young players who can compete for the highest placement. However, one should be realistic and understand if they do not perform in all tournaments, because apart from the first team, many players also perform in the junior competition, where there is also quite a lot of activity.
