If you want to be a rugby player, it’s not enough just to train rugby. Much more is needed. You must ‘live’ rugby and behave in accordance with rugby values, both on and off the field, and you must always encourage others to follow your example. For someone to follow you, respect you and look up to you, you have to be a leader, you have to respect yourself and others, you have to respect rugby. When you fulfill all of the above, then you are at the mercy of the rugby gods, who reward you with a rich career. Milan Orlović will never admit to you that he is one of the most prominent rugby personalities of the 21st century, but when we fold the sheet, it really is.
He was part of the famous generation of RK Pobednik, now RK Rad, which won 7 consecutive Serbian Championships. In total, he recorded 24 appearances for the Serbian national team, scored 11 tries, successfully converted 4 times and scored a penalty, where he scored a total of 75 points. With an average of 3.12 points per game, he is among the top 10 most efficient players of the national team since 1991 . He is 5th best scorer in history . He was the head coach of the 7s national team of Serbia, which was in the epic match in 2015 defeated Croatia in extra time and qualified for the Olympic Games qualification final. We can endlessly list all the sports memories and successes, but for us the biggest success is that he never left for Serbian rugby, which is always there. That is why it is a great honor and pleasure that he found the time and inclination to answer our questions. Enjoy!
Rugby.rs: When did you start playing rugby? How did you find out about rugby?
Milan Orlović: I started training in rugby in the fifth grade. It can be said that I have seen rather than heard about sports. Because during that period and due to the constant lack of pitches, the Pobednik rugby club organized its matches in my neighborhood. It is about the famous Ovča, which has neither less place nor more rugby national team members. It all started back in 2001 at the famous Blaž field, where we from the nearby school did not miss games and of course fell in love with this real “men’s” game at that time. The president at the time, seeing the number of children by the field, soon announced the first training session in coordination with the physical education teacher, and literally half the school came. Although I was skeptical because of my thin build, I somehow started at the persuasion of my best friend, and to this day I haven’t, and I don’t think I’m quit this game.
Rugby.rs: You started coaching rugby from a young age, how important is it for clubs to have youth teams?
Milan Orlović: I think the main reason for my love for this sport is that I started when I was still a child. Rugby grew in me and I with him, over time it became inseparable. It is a thread that connects my growing up and my youth. Sacrifices and some sacrifices were waypoints in a fulfilling sports life, without which I would not be who I am now. If I hadn’t started then rugby might have been a hobby, and this is the prism through which I look at life in a different way. Everything that is experienced at that younger age can never be compensated in life, and even less in rugby, that’s why it is extremely important that the clubs turn to work with the youngest in order to fill and brighten the lives of some new kids and make a pledge for themselves the future.
Rugby.rs: You made your debut for the Pobednik senior team at a very young age, how big a deal was that for you?
Milan Orlović: It was my desire, and the desire of the entire generation, to try our hand at the strongest as soon as possible. We couldn’t wait to turn 17 so that, with a special permit, we could perform for the club to which we were already inextricably linked. And the club was certainly waiting for us, because after winning several trophies, it got into big problems, and it was working with the younger categories that guaranteed that everything would work out. And it really was. The level of training that we as cadets and juniors had in that period was unprecedented in our rugby until then. I made my debut at 17 and from the bench, against Dinamo from Pancevo. Although it was not clear to me at the time why, I saw from the bench afterwards that it had to be that way. I quickly found myself, and in my debut season we won the Cup and lost the playoff final against the famous Partizan with a 2:1 victory. The following season, the title was ours, and so it was in the years that followed.
Rugby.rs: You were part of the U18 national team as well as the U20 selection that made a very notable result in Loznica, tell us more about that?
Milan Orlović: The national team defined and completed me as a player. All those camps and internships from the youngest days gave much-needed seriousness and dynamism in the development of psychophysical abilities. I have some beautiful experiences from that period, both in terms of rugby and in terms of society and travel. I played for the U18 twice at the European Championships and both times we lost the final, those were such hits that I still remember them to this day. For the first time, for one essay, I was below the line for the most essays in the entire championship, and to this day I have that article from the Sports Journal. As for the under-20, which I think is the most important for entering the senior team, it was not bad. When I was 18 we won our conference, when I was 20, then I was captain and we won our group and went to the finals, but there we had to settle for 4th due to the relatively small pool of players, but in every match we left our hearts on the field and were equal rivals.
Rugby.rs: In the initial seasons of your career, the Regional League also started. How close was RK Pobednik to winning the Regional League?
Milan Orlović: As a club, we somehow positioned ourselves as the flagship of domestic rugby, that’s how the Regional League came about. Although in some ways too early. We were a shade younger and less experienced than we should have been. However, we managed to be second place 4 times. So close and yet so far away. It’s just that those epic battles against Nada from Split never bore fruit. It was the strongest team in this region, and its seven consecutive trophies in that competition speak for themselves. We were the best after the best. Although we should not forget that others also had great teams, first of all Ljubljana and Esztergom, although no one in that league was to be underestimated. Čelik, Buldog, Zagreb, but also our Partizan and then KBRK had excellent teams and it was always crowded.
Rugby.rs: To what extent did competing in the Regional League affect your development as a young player?
Milan Orlović: We all lived for the regional league, people changed shifts, took days off, didn’t go on vacation, I didn’t even go to the big graduation because I was going to Split to play the final. We prepared for it and lived for those games, both the younger ones and the more experienced part of the team. Simply, rugby was a big priority for us and the regional league something special. Very high-quality and demanding rugby was played there, they stole chances, prepared tactics, practiced until exhaustion, it taught me to fight and never give up and created a great hunger for advancement.
Rugby.rs: You created a very young team that in 2011 in Latvia won the European Series 7 rugby tournament. How much did that success affect the rugby community in Serbia?
Milan Orlović: As a sport, the week was very dear to me, I loved the speed and the physical characteristics suited me. Fortunately, we had a lot of good and trained guys then. The federation recognized that we have potential and really provided everything that was in their power. Before that European tournament, we won the international tournament in Italy and the Balkan championship in Belgrade, the level of play was really good and the preparations were like never before. When everything coincides like that, the result is not missing. We beat the hosts in the final with a golden essay in overtime, which is still my favorite essay I’ve scored. Unfortunately, we did not take advantage of that momentum, we were a respectable team within our framework, but somehow I have the impression that we could have done more if we had the potential to be a significant factor on the European map. In the club championship of those years, the winner drew with the champion of Spain, and these are the players who were the backbone of the national team. A year ago, we players “closely” 40-5 against the French, gave 3 tries to the Romanians, and the Croats won 40 pieces in one round in Split. There was a lot of talent there indeed.
Rugby.rs: In the mid-10s, you also tried your hand at coaching, you were the selector of the Rugby 7 team of the Serbian national team, which made a historic success in Zagreb at the qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in Rio. Can you tell us what your impressions are? from that tournament?
Milan Orlović: A lot of rugby sevens tournaments were in my legs, I knew the game and I knew even better the players at my disposal. I shared the field with them a lot, both as a teammate and as an opponent. Zagreb came as icing on the cake after a systematic work in which Peca Stanić had a big part. The players respected me and I respected them, I tried to create chemistry and to be at the highest level as a team, and we were. I’m proud of them for how they did it all and what kind of rugby they played.
Rugby.rs: In the Rugby Union of Serbia, you held the position of Commissioner for Development, how much did that position influence the development of your rugby career?
Milan Orlović: The work itself in that rugby backstage is very complicated. I dare say ungrateful. However, a person can make his mark and contribution. Unfortunately, there is no beaten track and that is generally the biggest challenge in this kind of work. There are many hidden, small actions that must be done in order for the organization to somehow function. It definitely develops innovation and makes you think. Working on the “Get Into Rugby” project itself was something I’m really proud of. I also experienced that they take us as one of the examples at the official Rugby Europe Conference. Many children went through that program and it started a renaissance in the younger categories in our country.
Rugby.rs: Life took you to the USA, can you tell us which club you play for?
Milan Orlović: I went overseas due to circumstances. Fortunately, there is no shortage of rugby here. From the very beginning, and that’s already six years, I’ve been playing for the Montclair Norsemen and our first team plays in the first division of New Jersey, which is the second division in the federal level. We manage to make the playoffs sometimes. Although it is not easy because the competition is fierce, primarily due to the large number of overseas players.
Rugby.rs: How do you see rugby in the USA, what made the biggest impression on you?
Milan Orlović: The biggest impression is certainly the number of clubs and players. University rugby is unreal, there are more teams than all the other countries put together. The US is definitely a sleeping giant. It is slowly waking up, since a couple of years ago the professional league started and it is a big engine of development for now. Rugby is on TV and getting the organization of the World Cup will make them invest even more and I think it’s a really good move.
Rugby.rs: RK Rad is building club house. How important is this project for the club?
Milan Orlović: Infrastructure is the basis of all development. The pitch that Rad has at that Banjica is dry gold and really helps the club to survive, but after we lost those rather impractical premises at Beli vode, which we used again as we knew and knew how, something had to be thought of. In a way, I revived the idea of the containers with an auction that I organized before I came to America, and that was all of those rugby items that I had collected over the years. Since then, it has been a tradition that the club has nurtured. With great support and financial help from former and current players, club members, friends, we have secured 5 so far and the plan is 10, when it is finished it will be a real fortress. It will provide space for both sports and social aspects that a club must and should have. A big pledge for the future of both the club and rugby in our country.
Rugby.rs: What are your hobbies and interests outside of sports?
Milan Orlović: In general, I like sports and it is my hobby. Both tracking and playing a bit. Apart from that, I would single out the trips that rugby got me used to again. Good company, music, music… that’s something I enjoy.
Rugby.rs: What would you say to young players in Serbia?
Milan Orlović: I would tell young people to work on themselves both on the game and on their character. To try and not give up. When they are lucky enough to play the best sport in the world, to enjoy it to the maximum and for a long time.
Rugby.rs: How did the fact that the USA did not qualify for the 2023 World Cup affect the rugby public?
Milan Orlović: When we talk about the public, we can only say the rugby public. Because rugby at the state level is not recognizable to that extent. That’s exactly why, for rugby fans, it’s no surprise that they didn’t qualify, although it’s a big disappointment. They are aware that they are not even close to the big rugby nations, they still consider themselves amateurs, but not leaving is still a big step backwards. They see the main culprit for everything in the local rugby union, which even crowned its incompetence with bankruptcy.
Rugby.rs: Who will you support at the World Cup? And explanation please!
Milan Orlović: Somehow I always support the “underdogs”, which would be the Scots in the north and the Argentinians in the south. Although it will be interesting to see how much these small nations can do. I’m a big fan of surprises and all relatively small nations and also the expansion of the competition in the future. It seems to me that it will be the most even now. I would like to get a brand new champions, besides my favorites the Irish and the French have teams for something like that.
