The tournament of the European Championship Conference 1 already started today and will be play until sunday 11th of june . The women’s tournament started today, while the men’s tournament is played over the weekend.
How much can we expect from Serbia at the tournament?
We believe that we have a strong squad that will certainly achieve a position in the upper part of the table at the end of the competition. It remains to be seen how much the schedule of matches will affect our final ranking. The talent is on our side, we have several young players who have an enviable track record of playing rugby 7s in the junior categories. It will be very interesting to see how the team will function on the field, as well as which line-up will be the most lethal, because after all, only four players from this year’s squad played last year as well.
When does Serbia play?
The first game is scheduled for Saturday at 11:22 a.m. when we meet Finland. The Finns are not a team that counts as favorites, but they played good games last year. In the end, they took 10th place, where they recorded four defeats and one victory, but did not disappoint. They were quite competitive in the bigger matches. Our opinion is that we shouldn’t have too many problems with them, but we must never underestimate our rivals, and we must enter the match as concentrated and prepared as possible.
The second match is scheduled at 2:18 p.m., where we play against Turkey. The Turks are a very fast and bouncy team that we must not let dictate the rhythm. We have to keep possession and shut them down whenever they are on the attack. When you play against a very fast team, maybe you should use our physical advantage and base more on the contact game. You can’t expect speedy backs to be able to stop penetrating scrum players so easily. We should make the best use of such an opportunity.
When the first part of the competition is over, then the pairings for the second set of matches will be determined. After all, on our website you have a page that follows the competition in Conference 1, so you can get information about the competition system. You can also take a look at our announcement article, where you can find useful information about the tournament.
Serbian nationl 7s squad:
1. Stefan Ivković
YOB: 1991.
Club RK Kruševac
Stefan is a player who really likes the rugby 7 discipline because his excellent technique can come to the fore in the fast pace of the game. He is a player who likes to use contact, who is extremely strong in contact and who is very explosive and quick. In the rugby 7 format, he can play equally well in the scrum and the line. He has a feel for the game and space, reads the game well and understands how the week is played. An excellent defensive player who can cover a large part of the field well, since he reads the game well, positions himself even better and closes the opponent’s space. He has a good tactical shot that he can very well use as another weapon in the attack.
2. Milan Trujkić
YOB: 2001.
Club: RK Rad
A versatile player who can cover a large number of positions in the team. And it can cover them at a high level. A very fast player for his size, which makes him a tough target to bring down. He has extremely good technique and loves to play with his hands. He does best in the scrum, but can also cover line positions if needed. Very confident in the scrum and outside, where he provides a clean and fast ball. Very good in ruck, especially in cleaning. Excellent support player. He positions himself very well in defense and can coordinately put pressure on the opponent’s attack.
3.Андреј Шушак
YOB: 2003.
Club: RK Dorćol 1998
The prototype of the modern rugby league player. Very strong in contact, excellent contact management, where he always offers the option of offload. He is very fast and explosive, so he can take up a lot of space when carrying the ball. We believe that Rugby 7 is suited to him and that he can provide excellent games, as a good reading of the game and finding space for penetrations will come to the fore. Good defensive positioning allows him to mark players at a high level, which can be a key factor in covering space. He has a very good tactical shot, where he is extremely dangerous when he places the ball in an undefended part of the field and starts a race with the opposing player.
4. Miladin Živanov
YOB: 1988.
Club: RK Rad
A vocal leader on the field. A player with countless games in his legs, whose experience and mentoring can mean a lot to young players on the field. A high pace player who is still quick and explosive enough to deliver good moves. A superb defensive player whose specialty is effective post-match tackles. He can steal the ball very quickly from a break down or win a penalty. It is very effective in ruck as an assistant tackler. He is especially dangerous when, in such sequences, the referee judges a penalty, which he executes quickly. He excels in the transition game when defenses aren’t set up, where he usually scores or assists for an essay in those situations.
5. Nemanja Lazić
YOB: 2004.
Club RK Kruševac
We finally got to see Nemanja on the big stage. This will be a real test for him and his capabilities. What we would like to see is for him to relax, to believe in himself and his abilities. A player who at the age of 18-19 has fantastic physical predispositions, is very explosive, fast and very difficult to tackle. He has a good passing technique when the game accelerates. An excellent support player, where he can be unstoppable when he follows the action well and receives the ball from the offside. A player who anticipates and reads the game well, uses holes in the opponent’s defense. He has a very good shot, both tactically and on goal from conversions and penalties.
6. Danijel Stojanović
YOB: 2004.
Club: RK Rad
Although he is very young, Danijel played for the Serbian rugby 7 national team last year. So far, he has established himself as one of the best young players in Serbia. Danijel does everything at a very high level. In the junior competition, rugby 7 was played during all these years, so all the scrum-makers became quite mobile and fast. The defensive mainstay of every team, motivates him to win in every contact, that’s why his tackles are physically very challenging for the opponent. After the tackle, if he is in a situation, he will immediately go for the ball in the breakdown. Dominant ball carrier, excellent penetration player. Very disciplined in the game, he positions himself well and follows the events on the field.
7. Janko Zemun Milinković
YOB: 1998.
Club: Rugby Bergamo 1950
But every time we see Janko’s age, we cringe, because we have the impression that he has always been here and that we went to school together with him. But the fact is that Janko has yet to enter his best rugby years, and he is already at the top level. It will be very interesting to see how he fares in the national rugby sevens jersey. A very intelligent playmaker whose moves can make a huge difference on the pitch. He is very fast and anticipates the opponent’s movements very well, so we expect him to catch even the cameramen off guard with his penetrations. A leader on the field, a huge vocal influence on the team and positioning on the field itself. An excellent technician in the game with hands and feet who does everything quickly and at a very high tempo.
8. Alen Ćosović
YOB: 1988.
Club: RK Rad
In the last few seasons, Allen has been playing the rugby of his life. In any situation you put him in, he will do his best and get the job done to the end. If we were to single out the player who is the most professional, he would be the first choice. His trademark is strong contact and strong ball carrier. A very confident ball carrier who is very difficult to knock down when you give him space, he is able to win several tens of meters. He has an excellent ability to change direction, so it’s very difficult to stop him, he’s explosive, he’s fast. We have already said that he is a man of the task, so he can play well in most positions where you put him.
9. Stefan Djordjević
YOB: 1995.
Club: RK Partizan
If you were to ask us who is the best player in Serbia in the breakdown, we would say that it is Stefan. His technique in the ruck and around the ruck is fantastic and he can cause quite a stir in the fluency of an opposition attack. Even the Rugby 7 form can often force the opposition to use a player higher in the ruck to secure the ball. An excellent defender who does everything at a high level, from tackling to applying pressure. In attack, he is an excellent ball carrier, a penetrating player who uses his physical predispositions in the best way. He likes to play at a high pace, he is very mobile, he positions himself well and moves without the ball.
10. Antoine Jovovic
YOB: 1997.
Club: Merignac Rugby
We had the opportunity to see Antoine at the match between Serbia and Montenegro that took place last fall, and he left a very strong impression on us as a player who enjoys and likes to make decisions on the field. He is a lineman who can cover almost any position. He is very agile, fast, explosive, loves to play in transition, counter or semi-counter. He has a very good tactical shot from which he puts pressure on the back line of the opponent’s defense. He will definitely be a leader on the pitch, both vocally and as a decision maker, and to tell you the truth, we can’t wait to see him in action, because we think he will fit in great, because he is the type of player we lack.
11. Relja Pećanac
YOB: 2001.
Club: RK Rad
The archetype of the modern second line. A player who does a tremendous job in attack and defense that is not visible to the naked eye, unless you are a complete fanatic or analytical and follow all those little things on the field, which de facto lead to big things. Relja is a tireless worker who contributes equally in attack and defense. In attack, he is characterized by excellent penetration, which his physical predispositions allow. Defensively, he is a great tackler, but literally any defensive assignment you put in front of him he will fill, even more than that. The fact that a second lineman likes to pressure you is scary enough.
12. Aleksa Jovanović
YOB: 2004.
Club RK Kruševac
The class of 2004 of Serbian rugby will have the most representatives this year. Још један момак из ове талентоване генерације ће дебитовати у дресу сениорске репрезентације Србије. Alex’s main characteristic is his penetration game, he is very tall and awkward when he rushes in, few can knock him down when he takes a step. He reads the game very well and uses the space he is given. An effective support player who is also very good in contact. He has good hands so he can cover a quick, up-tempo game. Very good defensively, especially in positioning, where rugby intelligence comes to the fore. We can’t wait to see his performance.
13. Uroš Jončić
YOB: 1991.
Club: RK Rad
An experienced player with whom you have several benefits. Maybe the rigid coaches of the old style won’t like it, but the atmosphere in the team must be very good if you want to have the right team. If you yell and scream, everyone will look at you like you’re crazy. Uros is a fantastic motivator who can always create a good and positive atmosphere. A player who has a killer instinct in attack, and who is extremely dangerous in situations of performing quick actions in the opponent’s half, where he can make a gift to the opponent’s defensive line in an instant. Excellent in contact, even better in accompaniment and support. He is characterized by very good communication in the defensive line, as well as in putting pressure on the opponent’s attack. Excellent in the breakdown.
Head coach: Marko Kapor
Manager: Ljubomir Bukvić
