The end of the competition in Conference C
With this match, we finish the competition in Conference C for this season. We have no information on whether there will be a relegation, but we believe that it will not, because in our conference 4 teams appeared instead of 5. As a reminder, there are a total of 4 conferences in our competition range, namely A B C and D. So far, the Serbian national team has recorded two defeats and if they fail to surprise Bulgaria, they will end up in last place with three defeats in three matches. Which will be somewhat surprising because in the previous two cycles we were at the top of the table.
How strong is Bulgaria?
Perhaps the strongest Bulgarian national team ever led by Ivanov and Nikolov. Let’s not forget many others. When Roman Balzas took the helm of Bulgaria, he turned the national team upside down. At one point, the Bulgarians played in development and were in a rather bad position. Nevertheless, hard and dedicated work bore fruit, and Bulgaria is now one of the best teams in all groups of the Conference.
Along with the results came fantastic promotion, where the national rugby team was recognized as the winning team. They play in big stadiums, train in excellent conditions, are presented in the media as a serious team that achieves serious results. Everyone wants to be part of that exclusive team. They are constantly improving the team with players from all over the world. For this match, for the first time, the pillar who plays in Spain and the second line player who plays in Canada will play. The national team has a coaching staff and people who take care of it in the long term. Above all, the national team is the main priority, but also a mirror of the work of all national associations.
What can we expect from the game?
We should be realistic and not expect much. That we have the opportunity to put together the strongest team, so we can hope for something. This is how we need to be realistic and give our best. What we should be interested in is realizing the ideas of our coaching staff and playing according to our game plan. We must be focused and disciplined. We must not allow ourselves to fall mentally and physically as we did against Turkey. If we manage to do that, we can be satisfied with our performance.

How strong is our team?
We don’t have the strongest possible team, but Mišel Milović’s team that will compete in Bulgaria is quite strong. A combination of youth and experience, maybe a little more youth. It is unlikely that we will be able to achieve a positive result, but that is what was thought in the fall of 2021. when we narrowly lost 14-11. The victory has to be verified on the field, there is not a lot of philosophy.
Jovan Janićijević and Lazar Jelisavčić will make their debuts in this match. Namely, Lazar is the first player from the class of 2006 who made his debut for the senior national team, quite an undertaking and success, starting his career as a very young player. He is actually still a U18 junior. Congratulations.
If they looked at how many U23 players there are, they would get a figure of 8, which is not bad at all for rugby. The youngsters will have the opportunity to gain experience against a very strong opponent.
We will see how our third line will manage to cover space, especially defensively. A huge challenge for the very young Danijelo Stojanović, Uroš Pucar and Kiprijan Đorić. The line is somewhat more experienced, as it features the seasoned Aleksandar Đorđević, Predrag Keglić, Bojan Čečarić, Antoan Jovović and captain Igor Dejanović.
Serbia squad:
1 │ Prop │Vladimir Đukić │RK Rad │Serbia
2 │ Hooker │ Miljan Nikolić │ BRK Crvena Zvezda │ Serbia
3 │ Prop │ Dragan Matijević │ Roundhegyans Leeds │ England
4 │ Lock │ Uroš Jevđenijević │ RK Rad │ Serbia
5 │ Lock │ Relja Pećanac │ RK Rad │ Serbia
6 │ Flanker│ Kiprijan Đorić │ Donau Vienna │ Austria
7 │ Flanker │ Uroš Pucar │ Massi │ France
8 │ Number 8 │ Danijel Stojanović │ RK Rad │ Serbia
9 │ Scrumhalf │ Janko Zemun Milinković │ RK Liechtenstein│ Liechtenstein
10 │ Flyhalf │ Aleksandar Đorđević │ BRK Crvena Zvezda │ Serbia
11 │ Wing │ Bojan Čečarić │ Amersham and Chiltern │ England
12 │ Center │ Dragan Kokanović │ BRK Red Star │ Serbia
13 │ Center │ Predrag Keglić │ BRK Red Star │ Serbia
14│ Wing │ Antoine Jovović │ Merignac│ France
15 │ Fullback │ Igor Dejanović │ RK Partizan │ Serbia │ captain
Finishers:
16 │ Hooker │Vladimir Janićijević │ RK Vojvodina │ Serbia
17 │ Prop│ Jovan Janićijević │ RK Vojvodina │ Serbia
18 │ Lock │ Lazar Jelisavčić │ BRK Crvena Zvezda │ Serbia
19 │ Flanker │ Aleksandar Madjanović │ BRK Crvena Zvezda │ Serbia
20 │ Flanker │ Stanislav Ljubičić │ RK Rad │ Serbia
21 │ Center │ Nemanja Lazić │ RK Kruševac │ Serbia
22 │ Prop │ Petar Pavlović │ RK Dorćol 1998 │ Serbia
23 │ Prop │ Ivan Rodić │ BRK Red Star │ Serbia
Headcoach: Michel Milović
Coach: Marko Žeravica
Coach: Marko Janković
Doctor: Enes Isaki
Team manager: Goran Vuković
Match information:
Venue: Sofija, Bulgaria
Stadium: Vasil Levski
Date: 20.04.2023. .
Kickoff: 14:00h
Weather: Sunny, 16C
How to watch the game?
You can watch the match live on the website of the European Rugby Federation. Do not forget that you need to have your account registered on the site and that you need to log in.
An easier way to follow the Eagles is through YouTube. You have videos on the European Rugby Federation channel. If you can’t find it and have trouble locating the video, we’ve found the link for you.