Last year, both the Championship and the Serbian Cup were played according to the tournament system. 4 tournaments were played each in spring and autumn. At the tournaments, rugby 12 was played over the entire field, which was shortened to the dimensions prescribed by the Propositions for the competition. A total of five teams took part in the competition, that is, four teams from Serbia and RK Čelik from Bosnia and Herzegovina, which participates in all youth competitions.
We have to point out a few things that can really affect the number of teams in the next half-season. There is always a problem with the age of the U16s because they are players who are in the first and second year of high school. At that age, life’s responsibilities increase, you travel longer to school, and in general the subject matter in school is more demanding. We cannot ignore the fact that in those years the need for a more active social life increases. Where is the rugby? There isn’t a lot of philosophy here, you have to make sure that rugby is interesting, of high quality, that it is played in a quality environment, that you have photos, videos and written material. Work must not be procrastinated, to come to the tournament with the idea of finishing everything as soon as possible. What kind of message are we sending to young people, and on the other hand we want them to stay in rugby. The recipe is to create a nice environment, with a positive atmosphere and good rugby, where everyone wants to be part of such a competition, which aims to attract people to participate or follow it.
We remind you that until a year and a half ago, matches were played in the U16s competition. From those games, talent was honed in players born in 2004 and 2005. In that period, the players born in 2006 and 2007 had two levels of the U14s competition. Matches were played in the A group, while tournament games were played in the B group. Three teams played in A group, while six teams played in B group. Of those eight teams (Rad had a B team in the B league) only four remain to compete now. Unfortunately, some clubs have stopped being active, while some do not have enough players to compete. However, a very important thing that you should never lose sight of is that the players who are currently playing are at an extremely high level. We had the opportunity to be at two U16s tournaments that took place this half-season and we can only say that we are extremely satisfied with the game shown.
What is definitely missing this season are games that are really games and last 60 minutes, as much as the U16s are allowed to play. At tournaments, some games lasted 15 minutes. How can you expect to develop players if a game lasts 15 minutes? If you think that playing 4 matches of 15 minutes is the same as playing one 60 minute game, then you have a problem with understanding sports in general. But the only matches do not need to be in the framework of the official competition, you can also play friendly test matches. Let’s take the example of RK Rad, who played two test matches this half-season, one in Romania and one in Italy.
One of the negative potential things awaits us in the spring. Players born in 2006. this year they turn 17 and acquire the right to play for seniors. Since two and a half years ago, the ages have been moved forward by one year, with the aim of keeping the players longer in the younger categories. But we also got a side effect, which is that players who play in the U16s also play for the seniors, because that’s how clubs fill holes in the first team. It’s been that way throughout the spring stretch, it’s seemed more like a rule than an isolated case. It is definitely a problem that needs to be solved urgently.
In both competitions, RK Rad was absolutely unassailable, achieving all the victories in the Championship without conceding an essay, which is highly commendable. We must point out that the Građevinari were at an extremely high level throughout the season. A very complete team with a large number of quality players, where the number enables a quality training process, which is crucial for players of this age. Great growth was made by RK Dinamo 1954, which formed an extremely high-quality team, which reached a respectable second place in the table. In a slight decline are RK Kruševac and RK Borac Starčevo, which are holstering with the number of players.
We would like to send a message to all participants in the competition to make the most of the World Cup year. That the clubs are recruiting new players non-stop. Children at this age often change sports, and the option of presentation at schools should not be written off. We remind you that it is much easier for a new player to fit in when he has 10-15 players by his side who have been training for several years. The same goes for the players themselves, recruit new players yourself, what not. How many rugby players have come at the invitation of friends from school, among other things, the author of this text also came to rugby.
We created a team that we believe was the best this season. We had no clue that we had to represent all the clubs through this team. On the contrary, we are not interested in something looking nice and being politically correct, we are only interested in putting the best in our positions in the team. The U16s play rugby 12, but we have expanded our team to rugby 15. Only players born in 2006 and 2007 enter this year team. We would love to see a team like this in action, say at an international tournament.
U16s Team of the Season
15. Pavle Pelva
Position: Fullback
YOB: 2007.
Club: RK Rad
14. Mateja Caran
Position: Wing
YOB: 2007.
Club: RK Dinamo 1954
13. Aleksandar Avdiović
Position: Center
YOB: 2006.
Club: RK Borac Starčevo
12. Milan Vesković
Position: Center
YOB: 2006.
Club: RK Rad
11. Strahinja Glišić
Position: Wing
YOB: 2006.
Club: RK Rad
10. Igor Gajić
Flyhalf
YOB: 2006.
Club: RK Rad
9. Vojin Simonović
Position: Scrumhalf
YOB: 2006.
Club: RK Rad
8. Ognjen Siljanovski
Number 8
YOB: 2006.
Club: RK Rad
7. Nikola Begunić
Position: Flanker
YOB: 2006.
Club: RK Dinamo 1954
6. Andrija Janjić
Position: Flanker
YOB: 2006.
Club RK Kruševac
5. Lazar Jelisavčić
Position: Lock
YOB: 2006.
Club: BRK Crvena Zvezda
4. Vuk Simić
Position: Lock
YOB: 2006.
Club: RK Rad
3. Mateja Krčadinac
Position: Prop
YOB: 2007.
Club: RK Dinamo 1954
2. Petar Arnautović
Hooker
YOB: 2006.
Club: RK Rad
1. Aleksandar Ćirić
Position: Prop
YOB: 2007.
Club: RK Rad
