SERBIA and Norway will meet in an Under 19s and Under 16s double-header at the FC Radnicki Novi Beograd Stadium, Belgrade, tomorrow (Saturday 31 August).
The Belgrade Trophy tournament, which is supported by Belgrade City Council, was first launched in 2005.
Both matches, which kick off at 4.00pm (Under 16s) and 6.00pm (Under 19s) respectively, will be live-streamed on the European Rugby League and Serbian Rugby League Facebook pages.
Norway played their first-ever junior international in May 2017, against Serbia Under 18s at Nannestad, north of Oslo, the Norwegian Under 19s winning 54-12.
Tim Jones, the head coach of both Norway’s teams in Belgrade, said: “The Norwegian players are coming off a camp in Lillestrom with their mood upbeat, but with realistic expectations. While the young Vikings are very much in a development phase of our National Youth Pathway, there is currently a huge buzz about Rugby League in Norway, with many people working hard behind the scenes both at club and national level.
“I’m very happy with both squads and looking forward to every player gaining vital game experience to help aid their development. It’s a win-win situation for us, regardless of the results, given that the boys will experience a very tough competitive fixture.”
Serbia Under 19s head coach Vladislav Dedic said: “After the Euro Under 19s Championship here, this is a perfect game to test our guys again. As young players they appreciate all chances to represent their country, and this is an opportunity for some to put themselves on the radar for the open age national team.”
Milos Stamenkovic, the hosts’ Under 16s coach, added: “This year has been exceptionally exciting for our young players. In addition to participating in the European Championship, we had the honour of hosting Featherstone Lions. With matches against Norway, now, our players are effectively ending their school summer break with a rugby ball in hand. The atmosphere in the team is fantastic, and we believe that these games will bring much benefit and joy to both our guests and ourselves.“
