Serbia national rugby union team


The Serbia national rugby union team is classified as a tier three nation by World Rugby, and has yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. They have played over 100 internationals.
The national side is ranked 84th in the world.

History

The first known rugby players from Serbia were Serbian students in George Heriot's School in Edinburgh, Scotland during The First World War. On March, 9th 1918 they played their first unofficial international game, in front of 10,000 spectators, against a British Dominions VII and won by eight points to three. Notable players from this period included Toma Tomić from Leskovac, Dimitrije Dulkanović from Ćuprija and Danilo Pavlović from Prokuplje.
Serbian students also played rugby at the High School of Dundee and Hillhead High School in Glasgow. The best Serbian player in Scotland was Slavoljub DJordjevic from Čajetina. He played more than 100 games for Hillhead HS, Glasgow University RFC and Hillhead RFC in Scotland rugby top competitions.
Serbia played as a part of Yugoslavia since 1919 until 1992, then as FR Yugoslavia until 2003, and, finally, as Serbia and Montenegro from 2003 to 2006. Yugoslavia made their official international debut in 1968 against a Romanian XV, losing 3 points to 11. They made their full test debut the following month, losing 6 points to 29 against Bulgaria. They won their first official international match in 1969, defeating Bulgaria 22 points to six.
During the 60s, 70s and 80s, Serbian players played for the Yugoslavia national rugby union team alongside players from the rest of Yugoslavia. After the wars and breakup of Yugoslavia, the Yugoslavia team consisted of players from Serbia only, and they played their first full international against at Vršac in 1996.
After 1996, playing as FR Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro until 2006, they have played regularly in FIRA-AER and IRB competitions.

Current squad

Senior Squad:
PlayerPositionCapsClub
Alen CosovicHooker4 Rugby Club Rad
Vlastimir SretenovicHooker19 Belgrade Rugby Club Red Star
Bojan LukicHooker15 Vienna Celtic Rugby Football Club
Vladimir DjukicProp40 Rugby Club Rad
Bosko JovanovicProp5 Châteaurenard
Vid PejovicProp5 Rugby Club Dinamo
Uros MartinovicProp4 Belgrade Rugby Club Red Star
Predrag VranešProp23 Rugby Club Rad
Goran PorobicLock2 Rugby Club Vojvodina
Thomas CvijanovicLock6 Vale of Lune RFC
Aleksandar KrsticLock22 Rugby Club Partizan
Đorđe PreradojevicLock9 Rugby Club Partizan
Vladimir MijatovicLock5 Rugby Club Vojvodina
Mirko RankovicLock15 Rugby Club Rad
Marko GvozdenovicFlanker6 Massy RC
Stanislav LJubicicFlanker7 Rugby Club Rad
Milan MarinkovicFlanker15 GHA RFC
Stefan DJordjevicFlanker7 Rugby Club Partizan
Boris MarticNumber 836 RC Jacou Montpellier Nord
Julien MatijasevicScrum-half7 Sporting Tulle
Nikola StankovicFly-half6 Rugby Club Rad
Marko KaporFly-half50 Rugby Club Rad
Janko Zemun MilinkovicScrum-hal10 AS Rugby Bergamo 1950
Rajko JankovicWing5 Rugby Club Vojvodina
Miladin ŽivanovCentre36 Rugby Club Rad
Nikola TaticCentre3 Rugby Club Dinamo Pancevo
Uros BabicWing15 Rugby Club Rad
Kaspar StrugarWing2 Sheffield University RFC
Luka RakitaWing2 Rugby Club Vojvodina
Igor DejanovicFullback31 Rugby Club Partizan

Results

As the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1996–2002)

As Serbia and Montenegro (2003–2006)

As Serbia (2006–)

Overall

Below is table of the representative rugby matches played by a Serbia national XV at test level up until 19.10.2019.
NationGamesWonLostDrawnPercentage of wins
1037030%
633050%
642067%
20200%
20200%
642066,66%
10100%
1100100%
632150%
10100%
321066,66%
532060%
312033%
312033,33%
20200%
312033,33%
412125%
10100%
2200100%
835037%
20200%
1054155%
10100%
2200100%
10100%
Total913949340%

Player records

Most caps

#NameYearsCapsPosition
1Marko Kapor1999–50Fly-half
2Nikola Stancevic1973–199045Flanker
3Milan Rastovac1997–201345Centre
4Nenad Matejic2002–201942Fullback
5Dragan Grujic1988–200639Fullback
6Vladimir DJukic2008–40Prop
7Boris Martic2005–36Flanker
8Miladin Zivanov2006–36Centre
9Aleksandar DJordjevic2008–201732Centre
10Aleksandar Poprecica1996–200632Flanker

Last updated: Serbia vs Turkey, 19 October 2019. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Top point scorers

#NameCareerPointsCapsPosition
1Marko Kapor1999–20950Fly-half
2Vladimir Jelic1996–201410314Fly-half
3Boris Martic2005–10336Flanker
4Dragan Grujic1988–20069839Full-back
5Milan Orlovic2007–20147524Centre
6Nenad Matejic2002–20147142Full-back
7Marko Gvozdenovic2015–636Flanker
8Milan Rastovac1997–20135545Centre
9Goran Vucicevic1996–20024014Centre
10Sasa DJukic1996–20113628Wing

Youngest players

#PlayerPosAgeOppositionDate
1.Stefan JerkovicCentre17 years 10 months 28 days29/10/2016
2.Srdjan BozicScrum-half17 years 11 months 21 days10/11/2018
3.Ivan PirkovicCentre18 years 1 month 12 days14/04/2007
4.Aleksandar JakisicFlanker18 years 2 months 3 days21/04/1991
5.Milan RastovacCentre18 years 2 months 4 days10/05/1997
6.Ivan BiocaninProp18 years 2 months 25 days08/11/1997
7.Marko IsailovicWing18 years 3 months 3 days25/10/2014
7.Branimir PetrovicCentre18 years 3 months 3 days28/11/2009
9.Janko Zemun MilinkovicScrum-half18 years 3 months 28 days22/04/2017
10.Dalibor VukanovicCentre18 years 4 months 6 days13/11/2004

Last updated: Andorra vs Serbia, 18 May 2019. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Oldest players

#PlayerPosAgeOppositionDate
1.Srdjan NikolicTighthead Prop43 years 1 month 2 days12/10/2019
2.Vladimir JelicFly-half41 years 9 months 12 days25/10/2014
3.Milan MedicHooker40 years 9 months 4 days08/11/1997
4.Sasa DJukicWing40 years 4 month 23 days19/02/2011
5.Branislav AcimovicProp39 years 10 months 22 days06/12/2008
6.Dragan GrujicFullback39 years 9 months 7 days08/04/2006
7.Dejan KaratrajkovskiScrum-half39 years 5 months 6 days25/04/2015
8.Nikola StancevicFlanker39 years 4 months 25 days26/05/1990
9.Bojan LukicHooker39 years 3 months 10 days12/10/2019
10.Marko KaporFly-half39 years 2 months 25 days19/10/2019

Last updated: Andorra vs Serbia, 15 May 2019. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

World Cup record