Rad won the title after 4 years of domination by Partizan
During the whole autumn, Rad played excellent games, where they even beat Partizan twice and in the end, we can say that they deservedly won the title of the Champions of Serbia. With this victory, Rad went 11 points ahead of Partizan, who have to play two more games until the end of the competition, in which they can win a maximum of 10 points, so mathematically everything has already been decided. This match was, to be or not to be, for both teams, that’s why it attracted a lot of attention from the audience at the SC Inge stadium, where there were over 300 hunger strikers in the stands.
Both teams were not in full squads either due to injuries or suspensions. In Partizan, perhaps the best player in Serbia, Đorđe Preradojević, who was not eligible to play due to suspension, was also absent due to suspension, and Aleksandar Andrić was also absent due to suspension. While Aljoša Avramović, currently the top scorer of the Championship, did not participate in the match either. On the other hand, due to injury, Uroš Babić, the captain of the Serbian national team, was absent.
The work ended the dominance of Partizan, who had won the Serbian Championship for the past four years. Both teams have experienced players who are already in their mature playing years, but the core of both teams is made up of players who still have a lot to offer. Specifically, in Partizan, it is the generation of 1995, who are also the most numerous and who have just entered the best years of rugby. As for Rad, players born after 2000 are slowly taking precedence . The Builders have an excellent rugby school which every year produces young prospects who enter the senior competition ready.
Rad entered the game better
In decisive matches, it is very important to open the game as well as possible and to take advantage of your opportunities. To use the momentum in the best way and to add as many points as possible to your account. Rad started the match better, established a high tempo of the game, secured possession and control over the ball. This time, Rad had a more dominant scrum, which they showed right at the beginning of the game when they overpowered the opponent and won the ball. And not only that, but the Builders were extremely aggressive in defense after the Partizan scrum. One such situation led Rad to have a scrum 5 meters from the opponent’s tryline. Partizan defended with all its might, but in the 5th minute after Rad new scrum, the ball reaches Alen Ćosović, who scores the first points of the match. Nemanja Stošić is confident in converting for 7-0.
In the first part of the match, a big handicap for Partizan. Igor Dejanović, one of the key players of the black and white team, was injured. Although he continued the match at first, he could not give his best, and in the end he left the game in the 25th minute . And Rad had rough players on the field, Stanković played with an injury, where he rotated with Srđan Božić in the full-back position. We were a little surprised that the teams did not shoot more into the opponent’s field in the first part of the match.
The work had a definite initiative during almost the entire first part. They were a far better opponent in open play, playing fast and at a high tempo. The only thing that separated them from more points was the defense of Partizan, which was at a high level. If we take into account that the offense did not work at all, the defense wins more. But in 26th it hesistate. Rad had an out on the edge of 22 meters in Partizan’s part of the field. The car was excellently executed and a pier was formed that took about ten meters. A quick pick-and-go game developed from the pier, which Partizan stopped on the essay line, but with several linemen tied up in defense. Then the ball opened to Ćosović, who was in an unstoppable rush and scored an essay next to three defense players. Stošić was secure in kick for 14-0.
Exciting second half
The situation from the first half continued in the second half. Partizan made a lot of mistakes in attack, even when the players were not under pressure, they simply did not have the ball in their hands. They could not develop a multi-phase attack. Then in 50th minute of the match saw one of the most beautiful actions in the match. Rad received a penalty in Partizan’s 22 meters, but asked for a scrum. Marko Ristić pulled the ball off the stopper and passed to Božić, who sent a pass inside to Ćosović, who scored his third try of the match. Stošić is confident in the shot, Rad led 21-0.
In 56th minute of the match, Partizan had a scrum ten meters from the center of the field. From the scrum, the ball is opened to Velibor Srećković, who shoots the highkick. Alen Ćosović caught the ball and literally walked as if to a bakery to get a burek, through the entire Partizan scrum and easily placed an try near the post. Stašić took over the role of shooter and was sure of a huge 28-0 in the first three quarters of the match. In those moments, it seemed that Rad had finished his work in this match.
But Partizan didn’t just become the champion of Serbia in the last four years. The steamroller added gas in the 62nd minute as well, hit an opportunity to score. Partizan won their scrum on the 22-meter line from Rad’s tryline. Stefan Đorđević dunked the ball from the scrum, then passed it to Radić, who made contact and passed the offload to Miloš Ljubičić. Then the ball opened towards the line, where Stefan Simović kicked a catcher towards Boban Janković, who does a great job and finally scores an try for Partizan.
Then Simović takes a great shot from an extremely difficult position, where he converts the scored essay and reduces it to 28-7.
Then in 69th minute Partizan went full steam ahead. In 69th minute, where the opportunity was finally used with a good shot, which would have threatened Rad’s defense. Borislav Radić only needed a moment to notice the undefended space in the defense of Građevinari, so he kicked the so-called box kick. The ball fell in front of the Rad player, but close enough to Radić to give himself the lead with another shot. In the end, Radić catches the ball and scores an try. Simović is again confident of reducing the score to 28-14.
And then a fight developed at the very end of the match. Partizan was in a big rush. In 77th minute Rad received a penalty, which Stašić successfully kicked on goal and increased the score to 31-14. Black and white did not give up and did their best to try to get a result. It paid off in 79th minute when Partizan gets a penalty in Rad’s half. Captain Srećković takes the responsibility into his own hands, executes the penalty himself and in an unstoppable penetration scores an try under the posts. Simović is sure for 31-21. Which was also the final outcome of the match.
Match information
Venue: SC Inge
Date: 30.10.2022. .
Kickoff: 15:00h
Refferee: P. Dascaly (Romania)
Asistant referee: Relja Bulajić
Asistant referee: Aleksandar Lelik
Match comessaionnaire: Goran Vuković
Temperature: Sunny, 20C
Attendance 300
Replay: sportuzivo
Squads:
RK Partizan: Aleksandar Ljubičić, Oleg Babkin, Miloš Joksimović, Aleksandar Krstić, Ivan Ničić, Miloš Ljubičić, Nikola Nenadović, Stefan Đorđević, Borislav Radić 5, Stefan Nikolic, Vladimir Dejanović, Stefan Simović 6, Rajko Trifunović, Velibor Srećković 5, Igor Dejanović , Ivan Spasenović, Boban Janković, Uroš Popović, Sergej Devetak, Miloš Tamburić, Lazar Grubić, Vuk Bošković.
RK Rad: Vladimir Đukić, Uroš Jončić, Predrag Vraneš, Branimir Petrović, Vojin Karanović, Relja Pećanac, Danijel Stojanović, Marko Ristic, Srđan Božić, Miladin Živanov, Nikola Stašić 5, Alen Ćosović 20, Nemanja Stošić 6, Stefan Ivković, Nikola Stanković , Stevan Nikolić, Milan Trujkić, Boris Milojković, Uroš Jevđenijević, Stanislav Ljubičić, Mihajlo Samardžić.
5 takeaways
Alen Ćosović, player of the match
He definitely marked this game for us. The man scored four tries in the game that decides the title of the Serbian Championship. His primary position is the third line, but he did very well in the center position, where Partizan did not have a solution for him. We don’t know how not to put him in the lineup now after a game like this. He was excellent in all segments of the game, although he stood out especially in attack, he was excellent in defense. Man of the match as far as we are concerned. Great form throughout the season, both at club and international level.
Partizan defence
Although they conceded 31 points, we have to point out the good defense, because there could have been a lot more points on Rad’s account. Partizan had almost no play in the first 60 minutes of the match. Too many unforced errors in attack, unsafe out, unsafe scrum, lack of open play, Partizan’s attack was almost non-existent. The only thing that kept the black and whites in the game was the defense, which was excellent throughout the match. Proof of that claim is the fact that as soon as the attack worked, the result changed drastically on the scoreboard.
The static dominance of the Rad scrum
Rad was dominant in the scrum and outside throughout the match. Both on their own scrums and outs, and on the opponent’s as well. Even when the Builders did not win the ball, they put non-stop pressure on the opponents, which reflected in their attacking play. We paid special attention to the pressure itself after the static, which successfully suffocated the ball and the open play of Partizan’s playmakers. An excellent out gave Rad the opportunity to attack the defense in different ways, either from the small, or from a quick attack.
Rad third line players
They won a duel with the third line of Partizan. They were at a really high level. Relja Pećanac, Danijel Stojanović and Marko Ristić performed in the third line. Pećanac and Stojanović were excellent in contact, both in attack and defense. The experienced Ristić calmed down the game, set up his teammates, and enabled a safe flow of the ball from the scrum. Although the wings in Rada’s scrum are very young players, who were born in 2001. and in 2004. , they showed how much it is worth when you have a physically strong educated player, who passed all the younger categories. And we rightfully expect better and better games from them.
Too many technical errors
Both teams had too many technical errors throughout the game. Partizan stood out in particular, as it could not develop an attack in open play for more than 4-5 phases during the entire first half. Mistakes had a direct impact on Partizan not having a single point scored in the first part of the match. It was the same on the other side, where Rad also had a lot of mistakes, but not nearly as black and white. Nevertheless, Partizan’s winning mentality eventually managed to catch the connection in the second half, but there was no time.
