How many times have you been asked by someone, especially in Serbia, where you heard about rugby. Everyone remembers how he started training, who brought him to rugby, whether there was a promotion at school, whether there was an advertisement, a personal recommendation or someone who you know play rugby. Related to that, we decided to do an interview with Aleksandar Nedeljković Čobi, a man who is directly responsible for the fact that over 1,500 young people have started playing rugby in the last few years.
Is there a better legacy in a sport, when they ask children where you come from in that rugby, and those same children say that they are there because they heard about rugby for the first time because of you. The more people involved in a sport, the more of them will stay involved in it in various ways. However, that is not enough, to keep someone in rugby, you need to present it as the best sport in the world. Then you have to have maximum conditions in your club when young people come to train rugby, you have to create a good atmosphere and in the end you have to have a quality coach who wants to learn and improve.
You think that forming a team in any younger category is an easy task. If so, they would have 50 clubs in Serbia that have all the younger categories. This whole process that we have mentioned is a process that Aleksandar Nedeljković applied and successfully implemented, not once, but several times. Yes, several times, in Serbia.
We can say that she is one of the best coaches in Serbia. Although very young, he has an enviable number of seasons as a coach in the youth rugby. A coach who watches rugby, follows world trends, is constantly educating himself and, most importantly, applies it in practice. When you summarize his entire system he made, you get the result that there are 20 U16s players at training practise, and that the training is extremely high quality and challenging. We are honored and pleased that Aleksandar decided to do an interview with us and that we have the opportunity to listen to his rugby story.
Rugby.rs: When did you start playing rugby? How did you find out about rugby?
A.N. Čobi: I started coaching rugby in September 2009. . Mihajlo Vukobratović, the then player of RK Dinamo, came to the physical education class at the Gymnasium “Uroš Predić” in Pancevo and held a rugby promotion. After that, there were several trainings, after the training a tournament in which all schools in Pancevo participated. We were third. I remember saying to a friend next to me while listening to the medal and trophy ceremony, “I’m going to train this.” He looked at me and replied: “You are crazy, someone will break you” and he was right.
Rugby.rs: You passed the youth rugby, if you compare the current situation with the then, what leaves the biggest impression on you?
A.N. Čobi: Rugby, like any sport, is evolving day by day, the biggest room for improvement is in countries where a sport is underdeveloped, at the level of amateurism. I was crazy lucky to transfer to KBRK (now BRK CZ) after a year and a half of training at Dinamo. I trained there with a large number of players who are many times more experienced than me. The best environment for a player is the one in which he is the worst or among the worst, then he progresses the fastest. I would say that at that time he played as I like to say tinky winky rugby. Extremely simple system that is based on not being afraid in defense and being bigger, stronger, faster and crazier than your opponents in attack.
It was shot only from the 22 meter line. No pss in the scrum player, scrum play from scrumhalf, backs play only from flyhalf. With this system, you will beat teams from which you are physically or mentally more dominant, if that is not the case, you will lose 50-0. As a coach, I try to follow modern trends, to play everything from “play”, to have a few plays on the field, crabs with 3 people, fast balls, playing with the foot on the whole field. That there is not much difference between a srum or back players. That’s what the game is about. I would say that now the players are much more educated, technically and tactically, the number of clubs is bigger. Before the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, we as the Federation reached a historical “peak” in terms of the number of players and clubs in the smaller categories.
On the other hand, “Tinky Winkey” rugby has one advantage over a more modern system, and that is that if you teach a dog only one trick, he knows that trick better than a dog that knows 5 tricks, the team is exclusively specialized in contact. I don’t know how today’s teams in the younger categories would spend playing one game of “rugby” (I mean genocide or I just understand that ethnic cleansing is not correct to say) with a team from 10-15 years ago.
Rugby.rs: You achieved a great result at the U18 European Championship, can you tell us more about that?
A.N. Čobi: 2011. year, Serbia has made the greatest success so far at the U18 level in history, we won the group and went to a higher rank of the competition. A great combination of serious preparations, organization, investments of the federation and work ethic, quality and potential of the players of that time. The vast majority of players were from KBRK, I will add quite deservedly, as many as 15 of them were 3 from Krusevac, 2 players from Pobednik (today’s Rad), one Frenchman who taught us all to swear in French and four of us from Dinamo. In the first line-up, the situation was even more one-sided with 11 KBRK players, Stephane from FR, Tarzan from Kruševac, Stanka and I from Pancevo, again deservedly.
The results are not falling from the sky. As a U17, that team had 10 days of experience in Luxembourg with their national team, which we won around 35-30. The match against the U20 team of Zagreb that we won in Zagreb 12-7, the match against the U20 team of Bosnia that we lost 24-12, 2 or 3 Karatas for 7-10 days, we played friendly matches against the senior of the then KBRK, the senior of the then Zvezda , a friendly match with the U18 national team of Hungary, which we lost only to get revenge on them a month later in the final of the European Championship in France. Training practices through whole winter, etc. etc, etc, And when you prepare like that, then you can expect a good result.
I remember the famous beep tests, the scrum ran around 10, the line went to 13.14, almost 15, we skinny people went the furthest. When I compare that with the beep tests on Karatash from a year or two ago… Now the guys are on the verge of fatigue and discomfort, in our country, then, that limit was at an extremely high level. We played our simple system great, we were unstoppable in contact (I mean scrum and centers above all). Not to go into details because they are not exactly things that are appropriate to talk about, by the halftime we had exhausted all the changes of all three opposing teams, mainly due to the injuries they suffered in contact. We were ready and too determined to win that championship.
Rugby.rs: You were part of the Serbian national team in 2015. year in the Qualifiers for the Olympic Games in Zagreb achieved an excellent result, where in the end we lost in the final to Ireland, how significant was that result from the perspective of the players?
A.N. Čobi: Yes, it turns out that as a player I participated in potentially the two biggest successes of our rugby in the last 10 years. It is the most beautiful year in my playing career so far, I played the best rugby and had a great time. 3rd place at the European Championship in rugby 7 in Bosnia, then Pobednik 7s where we played as a national team and recorded a great result and after that the famous Zagreb. I must mention that I have never felt better and more pleasant as an athlete, Petar Stanić and Milan Orlović led the teams in such a beautiful way that I have to say for the umpteenth time that it was an ABSOLUTE PRIVILEGE to play in those teams, with those teammates under that selectors.
The favored Swiss suffered in the group, then Norway and we drew with BiH, in the quarterfinals we beat Slovakia, in the SPECTACULAR semifinals the Croats after extra time and after that we all had the opportunity to see what professional rugby looks like. The team that was made up of college prospects, the guys who played the U20 WC for Ireland totally tore us to pieces. We had nothing to ask for, the only thing I would say was that, to my consolation, no one was moving away from me while I was chasing him. So I would say that Knele, Vitor and I were faster than their whole team, but our scram players are to blame for us losing a little stronger than 70-0 (laughs). And again the same thing, serious preparations, a little longer cycle, preparatory tournaments in Zenica and Belgrade. How much money, that much music.
Rugby.rs: How did you decide to become a coach?
A.N. Čobi: Do you think other people decided that I should become a coach ?? I was in my second year of college, dreaming of rehearsing abroad, gardening and working in cooperatives in addition to training at BRK CZ. Marko Jovanović in front of the association and Igor Stojadinović in front of RK Dinamo 1954 approached me with the idea of trying my hand at coaching. Let’s try to bring Dinamo back to where it belongs, to the top of Serbian rugby. Until then, I honestly didn’t think too much about it, maybe, but when I retire. Shortly afterwards, I was at my first rugby promotion at the “Stevica Jovanović” elementary school in Pancevo. I remember the unrealistic fear that kids sound stupid, that they won’t find my jokes funny. That I won’t be able to show them in 45 minutes how phenomenal rugby really is. After the first 5 minutes there was no more trepidation, I felt like a pig in a swamp. After those 6-7 hours, I couldn’t wait for the first training and see if anyone will actually come. Dramić, Kova, Jovanović, Vule, David, Luka, Aljoša, Ogi and Mileva. I will remember that training in its entirety, so I think for the rest of my life
Rugby.rs: How important was your work at Dinamo for your coaching progress?
A.N. Čobi: I fell in love with rugby at Dinamo. At Dinamo, I fell in love with the coaching job. If it weren’t for that club, the people in that club and Mihajlo who came to the FV class in high school, I don’t know who he would be now. I am in eternal debt to that club. Which doesn’t mean I won’t argue with Kuzma at the next tournament. At the first tournament of the winter league, after congratulating me on the first place, Jovka taught me what a cavalry attack is. I can’t compare myself as a coach then and now… how many things I just did wrong… I was horrible. On the other hand, I had a serious and fanatical approach from the very beginning.
After 6 trainings, we went to the first tournament of the winter league with the pioneers and took first and third place with two teams, not because I was a wow coach, it wasn’t bad, but the winter league is real butcher’s rugby and they came to my training huge. fast but most importantly extremely brave children. With the cadets, my current colleague Johnny Stanković, Stašić and the team demolished us, in a couple of games it was literally 10-0 in essays in 7 minutes A few days after that I held my first video analysis and in the next tournament the cadets lost to the Pobednik (Rad) 1-0
It was here that I realized for the first time how POWER THEORETICAL TRAINING is and since then I have always used it, everything is recorded and analyzed, even some trainings. What would a small Ogi, firm like Maxi say. In the video, the children learned what two on one is and how to defend themselves from it. We lost the first tournament on doubling and a 10-0 surplus, and the next one on quick penalties and 1-0 mechanics, only then it wasn’t so bad anymore. There are many from that generation of guys now, some are colleagues, some are judges, I still lead teams against some, there were senior and junior national team players. I left Dinamo at a time when the club had about 60 players in all categories. With the great work of the administration, Kalaba, Igor, and the great help of the association, we brought one big club back on its feet.
Rugby.rs: After Dinamo, a coaching job took you to BRK Crvena Zvezda, of which you were a player all these years. How important was your coaching experience in Zvezda?
A.N. Ćobi: For the first time in Zvezda, I started thinking about how to move from tinky winky rugby, which I preached at Dinamo, to something a little better, a system that will develop the whole team better and more evenly. Something more modern. The first year in Zvezda was a big failure in every sense and respect, the only useful thing in that year was that I saw how it should not be done. The next one was already a hit. At the end of that great year in Zvezda, we reached the mammoth number of over 120 members at one time. Unfortunately, I saved the game system that I planned to develop from the next half of the season in BRK CZ for the next club, because I terminated my cooperation with BRK CZ in March 2019. The club that did not have a younger category than I was in the younger category (laughs) was by far the most numerous club in the country at that time (about 130 members).
Rugby.rs: You are currently a coach at the Rad Rugby Club. How much has previous experience influenced you to be a better coach?
A.N. Čobi: I can say that I have finally introduced the novelties in Rad that I wanted to play in the younger categories in Serbia. Most of the stages are played from the play, the player gets the ball from the scrumhalf, there are several plays on the field, two stages of scrum that are on their feet after the players of the line make ruck play as if they were line players, 5 of them, dog to the end, options along and outside, the idea I stole from the cadets and pioneers of RK Ljubljana at the tournament on Ada, while I was still working in Zvezda, a great way for all players to know how to do everything is for all players to practice everything and all players to do everything in matches everything, everything, everything, all aaaaaaaaaa.
Ruck is provided by a maximum of two people, they run from ruck to ruck because they lack people. We play with our feet all over the field, we shoot tries with a shot, we play on the territory and not on the property. We improved the defense to such an extent that other teams were forced to start using the shot on the whole field and much more. And all that was already seen at the U14s level. Subjectively, I think that these are all things that have never been seen before in the younger categories in our country. I finally got away from tinky winky Rugby. U16 is already playing a variation of the 1-3-3-1 system with 12 players. If Milović continues to be the selector of the A selection in a couple of years, and I hope he will, he will have an enviable number of players who know how to play the system at their disposal.
Rugby.rs: You are also a GIR instructor at the Rugby Federation of Serbia, where you are directly responsible for conducting very successful rugby presentations, tell us a bit more about that?
A.N. Чоби: That’s the way I give back to rugby everything I got from him. As Mihajlo 2009. me, to say “brought” to rugby, so I now animate some new kids in schools. Children in every school will not try first, then try, then go crazy on rugby, 70% of every school from 4. to 8. the class applied to want to train. Of that number, which in several schools is a few hundred registered in the end, about 20% come to rugby. The record is held by the United Nations and Tesla, 86 boys and girls came from the two schools for the first training, while I was still working at Zvezda If I go in order, about 150 boys in Dinamo, 250 in Zvezda, 150 in Rad, 70 in Krusevac, 70 in Zarkovo, about 30 in Vojvodina, several times 10-20 players in Loznica, about 20 boys and girls in Borac …. I can say that I formed from scratch and / or coached over 25 competitive selections. The total number of children who appeared from school at the first training has already exceeded 1,500.
Rugby.rs: How important do you think continuity in working with youth rugby is?
A.N. Čobi: Without continuity there is no quality, without continuity there is no stable club, some clubs are on a fairly low number of senior players and have continuity for many years, but there are some other things. The longer the hole is dug, the bigger, wider and deeper it is, depending on how the artist prefers to express himself. The longer the child trains, provided that everything is done according to a plan and program, with the knowledge of the coach, he will be a better player. The more good young players leave the youth school and are ADEQUATELY accepted in the seniors, the stronger the club. A rather wise gentleman often says that working with younger categories is not a cost but an investment, I just can’t remember his name.
Rugby.rs: You were part of the professional staff of the U18 national team of Serbia at the camp in Zagreb and at the test match against Bulgaria in Petrovac na Mlavi. How high is ceiling for U18s national team?
A.N. Čobi: The reach of this national team is extremely high, but in rugby 7 (laughs). Joke aside, the guys who have been playing mostly for a week for a couple of years have relatively unexpectedly adjusted quite well to rugby 15 and the 1-3-3-1 system, which is being played at the U18 national team level for the first time in the history of rugby in Serbia. Man is a creature of habit, and it takes time, a lot of time, to correct bad and create good habits. Rugby 7 and rugby are two different sports. I hope Karatas in the same lineup, a friendly match after the preparations and then the training cycle before the match with Croatia. After the (potential) victory against the Croats, one or two more games with even stronger opponents.
Rugby.rs: In your opinion, what is the perspective of young players who come from youth rugby?
A.N. Čobi: How much money is so much music, how much is trained in the club and the individual achievements will be directly proportional. To our great satisfaction, we currently have a relatively large number of excellent players who are not only able to enter senior rugby in time and satisfy their games, but to drastically raise the level of rugby in Serbia after a few years. The best have to prepare and try abroad. I think that if we don’t send at least 6-7 players from each generation, we haven’t done anything well enough.
Rugby.rs: What are your hobbies and interests outside of sports?
A.N. Čobi: First of all, I like walking and reading, my favorite writers are Dambudzo Marechera and Unica Zürn (laugh) I have been in a happy relationship for six years, imagine that queen who has been suffering from me for 6 years, so I spend a lot of time every day with my girlfriend. In addition to games, I spend a lot of time watching rugby, digging material on social networks and the Internet. The most recent invention is the scrum coach of Argentina who uploads a lot of material on YouTube and Instagram, for free, at the moment he is my bible for scrum.
Rugby.rs: What would you say to young rugby players in Serbia?
A.N. Čobi: The most important thing that no coach has taught me in 22 years of playing sports, but I have learned from my mistakes, is that as an athlete I take adequate care of my body. For years I played digging, injured, OVERTRAINED, old school coaches manipulated me and persuaded me that it was great for me to play if I was a little, medium or a lot injured because, supposedly, they are too, well, they are still alive.. Just because SOMETHING was done that way before doesn’t mean it’s good or bad, it just means it happened.
Be smart, take care of your body, do not play injured, injury follows recovery (until something stops hurting), then REHABILITATION where that injured segment returns to its original state and gradually continues with rugby. Also, when you have a hammer in your hands, everything looks like a nail and then you just beat it. One can endure 10 hours of learning a day but 10 or 5 or 3 or 2 hours of poorly planned training CANNOT. The mistake everyone makes is to do a bodybuilding gym in combination with rugby during the season. THE SCOPE AND INTENSITY of such a regime of work in the gym is too great for the season and young players due to great desire and little knowledge end up with a state of overtraining and injuries. If you love sports, learn, read and watch sports. Take care of yourself to enjoy the sport you love for longer.
Rugby.rs: Why do they call you Čobi?
N.N. Čobi: For this question, I planned to throw a trick as my chukundeda has over 1000 sheep, so I inherited a nickname from him, but I gave up.
My first training at Dinamo. I am 14-15 years old, I enter the locker room for juniors and a couple of seniors who saw me walking through the hallway notice that I really look like Čobi. I asked them who it was, they told me it was Ivan Ostojic. I answer that “it’s my aunt’s brother”. After that, Pele and Pera Ratković shouted, but people came from Čobi’s brother to train. In about ten seconds, the locker room was full of naked men who looked at me and commented in the style of “yes, yes, the same Čobi”. A traumatic experience for a guy who hasn’t seen a naked man before (live (laughs)).
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