Serbia national rugby league team

Serbia

Nickname

White Eagles (Beli orlovi)

Governing body

Region

Head coach

Captain

Most caps

Zoran Pešić (28)

Home stadium

Makiš Stadium, Belgrade

RLIF ranking

11th

First international

Lebanon 102–0 Serbia

(19 October 2003)

Biggest win

Germany 6–90 Serbia

(22 April 2011)

Biggest defeat

France 120–0 Serbia

(22 October 2003)

The Serbia national rugby league team represents Serbia in the sport of rugby league football and has been participating in international competition since 2003. Serbian Rugby League was reborn on November 10, 2001 after 40 years of non existence due to the Yugoslav Communist dictatorship banning the game in the mid 1960s because they favored Rugby Union which Croatia was playing at the time. Rugby League was first played in Serbia in 1953.

Rugby League was first played in Serbia in 1953 when it was introduced by Dragan Marsicevic, secretary of the Yugoslav Sport Association. Two French teams toured later that year, and in 1954 the clubs Partizan and Radnički were formed. These clubs played their first match on April 26, 1954.In 1961 a Yugoslav Rugby League team played its only game against a French Select XIII team in Banja Luka. The French team won 13-0. The sport died out soon afterwards not due to lack of popularity but due to the communist regime banning the sport a barbaric decision that would see the sport halted for the next 40 years. The rebirth of Serbian Rugby league Federation was on November 10, 2001 with the new federation been formed. There is now an eight team domestic competition between Dorcol Spiders, Morava Cheetahs, Red Star Belgrade, Belgrade University, Radnički Nova Pazova, Tsar Lazar, Soko, Stari Grad, and Niš.

Serbia has participated in the Mediterranean Cup competition in 2003 and 2004.Serbia won the 2006 and 2007 Slavic Cup after beating Czech Republic 36-28 in Prague and 56-16 in Belgrade, respectively.

Serbia failed to qualify for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, losing to Holland, Russia and Georgia in 2006, to be eliminated from the qualification process.Serbia won the 2007 and 2010 European Shield tournaments, by beating both Germany and Czech Republic on both occasions. Serbia took part in then European 2nd tier competition Euro Med Challenge in 2008. After being defeated 4-30 by Russia in Novi Sad and 14-20 by Lebanon in Bhamdoun, Serbs finished third. Serbia was a participant in the 2009 European Cup, having been drawn in a group alongside Wales and Ireland.

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