Thorough and long-term work
Rad achieved all the victories in all the tournaments, without receiving an try. Where will you dominate more than that. How does it happen that one team jumps so much from the others. The first thing you will think is that the level of the other teams is beginner level. But that is definitely not the case. Rather, it will be a matter of long-term and fundamental work that requires a lot of resources, patience and training. We can’t make a player in a few months. Rad has a team of approximately 20 players of U16s age, where they also work very well in training. In addition, they pay a lot of attention to compete outside the borders, so they played with their peers from Romania, Hungary and Italy.
This is exactly why it is important that the teams have full age groups in the youth department. If you have ten players per year, if you work hard and thoroughly, if you have the conditions for training, nothing prevents you from having teams at a high level. Of course, it is much easier for teams from bigger cities, where you can do, for example, rugby presentations at several schools. This is exactly why the effort and dedication of the Borac from Starčevo is particularly interesting. That one village has a rugby club and they have as many as three junior categories. All the best to them, and the clubs without youth players should put their finger on the forehead, because the future will come very quickly.
High level of rugby
Now you will tell us how high the level of rugby in the U16s is when one team is so dominant. Well, we’re sorry, but the level of play is high. The fact that Rad’s team is a couple of levels above does not mean that quality rugby is not played. And we must mention that very high-quality and uncertain matches are being played. All matches played by RK Dinamo 1954, RK Borac Starčevo and RK Kruševac, of course with guests from Bosnia and Herzegovina, RK Čelik, are extremely interesting. You can watch all the results on our website, but you won’t go wrong if you plan to watch them live. Don’t forget that the vast majority of players who feature for the cadets have been in rugby for a long time. Everyone has a few seasons in their legs.
Corona coming to pay?
Someone told us don’t mention Corona anymore, it’s in the past. Well, it’s not like that. Anyone who carefully plans and analyzes things can conclude that Corona is about to take its toll. During 2019 and start of 2020 , immediately before the beginning of Corona, rugby was in a huge expansion. The Rugby Union of Serbia invested significant resources in development, promoters, coaches and clubs attracted a serious number of children to the clubs. That is why youth rugby has survived for so long and with quality players. If it were the opposite, there would be a complete collapse.
It is paradoxical that our country, Serbia, helped professional and semi-professional clubs to deal with the consequences during the Corona pandemic. While amateur sports are left to fend for themselves. Even the funding was reduced from the local self-government because of Corona. A couple of days ago, an article came out that Scotland continued to help rugby recover from the consequences of Corona, so in the first phase, they distributed almost a million pounds to 95 clubs that work with young people. The epilogue here is that some clubs stopped working with young people, some clubs stopped functioning.
However, the general situation is not bad at all. There is a strong base that still needs to be built upon and worked on. Ahead of us is the winter period and the beginning of promotional actions in schools. That’s exactly what we need most, which is to use schools aggressively and to the maximum. And everyone should participate in that, from the clubs to the players who should wear club insignia as much as possible. That is why we are impatiently waiting for the Winter League and the start of activities.
Proposal for playing games
We are of the opinion that cadets should play matches and not tournaments as they are playing now. But one should be realistic and understand that there are not enough players to realize such a competition. However, there is a way to achieve this. During the year, the Championships and Cups of Vojvodina and Belgrade are played, which are played within the already existing tournaments. And matches could be organized where the rugby 15 format would be played, and that could be done in the form of a camp.
We think it would be good to organize a two-day camp where players from all clubs would be invited. That the camp should be a week before the match with Bosnia and Herzegovina and that the coach Mišel Milović should be hired to train the boys at the camp and do an internship with the coaches in Serbia. In the end, a match would be played between, for example, the Belgrade team against the Vojvodina team. This would give the U16 cadets two or three high-quality training sessions and a rugby match on the 15th.
RK Rad is the national champion in the U16s cadet competition
In all four tournaments, they showed an excellent and determined game and fully deserved to take the new cup to Banjica. We hereby congratulate them on their title and wish them to continue raising the level of their game. It is interesting that RK Dinamo won second place in 1954 and that they did not play any worse games. It is particularly interesting to us how they progressed throughout the season, where they went from a team that barely gathered for tournaments to having a strong and stable team. We can’t wait to see how he trains over the winter and how much he improves. The third place in the general standings was taken by the Borca team from Starčevo, which had the same number of points as Kruševac, but in the end it was decided by the points quotient, where Starčevo were better. Borac and Kruševac have participated in three tournaments this season and have quite a lot with the number of players, so hopefully they will stabilize their teams during the winter period. Čelik from Zenica was in all tournaments, although he participated out of competition. The team from Bosnia and Herzegovina presented itself in a very good light, they have a good team that improves from tournament to tournament.
Table
| Поз (Pos) | Екипа (Team) | У(GP) | Б(Pts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  РК Рад | 4 | 40 |
| 2 |  РК Динамо 1954 | 4 | 28 |
| 2 |  РК Челик | 4 | 28 |
| 4 |  РК Борац Старчево | 3 | 11 |
| 4 |  РК Крушевац | 3 | 11 |
Tournament information
Venue: Rugby pitch in Starčevo
Date: 18.11.2022 .
Kickoff: 12:00h
Referee: Marija Stojšić
Referee: Aleksandar Lelik
Match commessaire: Dejan Deljak
Temperature: Rain, 7C
TOP 10 players
This is our list of TOP 10 players from the last tournament that took place in Starčevo. Players who did not play in the last tournament are not on the list. The list includes players who were born in 2006 and 2007. Players who were born in 2008 have their own pioneer list. There are no Čelik players on the list. The list has nothing to do with the team’s results, but represents the individual quality of the players. The order of the list is random and there is no ranking.
Pavle Pelva
Position: Center, Wing
YOB: 2007.
Comparason: Brian O’Driscoll
A very fast and penetrating player who can perform most elements of rugby at high speed. Sometimes it seems to you that it is everywhere on the field. He is especially good in defense, where he can often be unpassable, like this half-season. He is in charge of covering a large space in the field, and he did it at a high level, because Rad did not receive a single point this season. He has a very good tactical shot.
Nikola Begunić
Lock
YOB: 2006.
Comparason: Grégory Alldritt
He was excellent in the last tournament. A strong, fast, brave and penetrating player who uses his physical predispositions very well. We are always surprised by his explosiveness and strength in contact. It’s very hard to knock him down. If you have a good technique and if you position yourself well, you will always receive the ball in a good body position and at full speed, which is why it is always very difficult to beat Nikola. In defense, he was at a high level, especially in the match with Rad, where he performed very well.
Vuk Simić
Position: Lock
YOB: 2006.
Comparason: Maro Itoje
A real modern second line that is characterized by great mobility all over the field. Like a linebacker, he is able to run fast and at a high pace, which makes him a very difficult player for the opposition. Physical predispositions allow him to be strong and durable in contact. As a ball carrier, he always changes the direction of penetration and looks for space. He has good hands and always offers offloads in contact. In statics, he is excellent, especially the outside should be highlighted, where he is absolutely confident in his position and very dangerous on the opponent’s throw-in. Одличан играч подршке и асистен обарачу. In fact, he is the most dangerous because his physical strength and good hands come to the fore.
Aleksandar Avdiović
Flyhalf
YOB: 2006.
Comparason: Christian Lealiifano
Aleksandar is an extremely steady player with a very good shot. He has a good foot and can kick very deep and high. This year, Borac does not have a strong team like previous years, but they are very dangerous in attack whenever Avdiović is in the team. He is an excellent ball carrier, extremely strong in contact. In defense, he is excellent, a very good tackler.
Milan Vesković
Position: Flyhalf, Fullback
YOB: 2006.
Comparason: Melvyn Jaminet
Player of fast game and strong rhythm. An explosive first step and quick change of direction allows him to always have several options while attacking the opposition’s defensive line. If you have not set up a line of defense, you will hardly have a chance to defend the attack. If you do set up a defensive line against him and reduce his options in the hand game, he will use the shot. He is the type of agile line player who can make a difference on the field at any moment. In defense, he is excellent, a good anticipator of the opponent’s shot, very good in counterattack and transition.
Andrija Janjić
hooker
YOB: 2006.
Comparason: Stephen Moore
A very interesting player who is decorated with great security in the game. He is the type of player who has extremely sure hands, who does not drop the ball, who does not lose the ball. In defense, he is almost impenetrable. An excellent knockdown player who has all kinds of knockdowns in his arsenal. When tackling, he never takes his eyes off you, his back is always straight towards the tackle, his hands are always in the catching position, elbows against his body are thrown towards the opponent, he has good footwork so that he is always positioned close to the opposing player with the ball. He always goes forward in the takedown to win the duel. He goes low into the opponent. Excellent in the car and scrum. Confident ball carrier in attack. A very fast and penetrating player.
Vojin Simonović
Position: Scrumhalf
YOB: 2006.
Comparason: Baptist Cerin
High pace player. Very quick, quick footwork and quick hands. He always has one eye on the opponent’s defensive line, so he needs to be watched in the cancer game. A very solid player, as evidenced by the fact that he is excellent in defense. You won’t often get the chance to see a demi stand out defensively. In fact, it is very rare even in modern high-level rugby. It has an extremely good rating and overview of the game. He excels in cancer, where he is able to provide cancer as a demi if support is delayed. What worries nac a bit but also makes him happy on the other hand is that he has grown rapidly, and continues to grow, so the question is how physically he will be able to respond to the demanding position of scrumhalf.
Mateja Caran
Position: Center, Wing
YOB: 2007.
Comparason: Jack Nowell
Physically very fit player. At the tournament, he particularly excelled in grabber tactical shots where he used his speed and attacked the space of the opponent’s defensive line. When you have a player who is a strong ball carrier like Mateja, and if that player adds a good shot to his arsenal, you simply don’t know what to defend first. In defense, he is extremely disciplined and strong in contact. Very good tackler. What we would like to see is his participation in the line actions that are made for him, where he gets the ball in space and does so on a full run.
Ognjen Siljanovski
Position: prop
YOB: 2006.
Comparason: Lodewyk de Jager
Physically extremely strong, he has very good technique. He excels especially in contact, where it is very difficult to stop him. If you do stop him, whenever he can, he offers the option of offload and quick games. If he judges that the offload is impenetrable, he makes a long presentation that allows for a cleaner ball and faster play. He is very good at playing in and around ruck. As we said, his strong side is carrying the ball, where he often uses the buffer. He is extremely mobile and durable, so there are sequences where he takes up more than half the field.
Igor Gajić
Flyhalf
YOB: 2006.
Comparason: Johnny Wilkinson
It’s a miracle that we haven’t had him on any of the lists we’ve made since the very beginning of the site. He is a player who does everything well on the field. But we have to say that he really excels defensively, where he is excellent in positioning, an extremely good tackler, excellent in defensive ruck, where he very often wins balls and penalties from breakdowns. He has an accurate and quick pass, where he dictates the pace of the game with his fast ball. He makes excellent decisions on the field, always attacks space. Very good game review.
