Spring part of the 2011/2012 RRC season starts next Saturday on March 10th. After three months of winter break, competition will continue with the RRC play-offs. Eight clubs that have merited their place in RRC quarterfinal matches are: RK Nada Split, RK Pobednik Mozzart Beograd, RK Zagreb, Esztergomi Vitézek Suzuki RSE, RC Donau Wien, RK Čelik Zenica, Battai Bulldogok RC and RK Ljubljana.
Due to the early commitment of Slovenian National Team in FIRA-AER ENC match vs. Switzerland on March 17th, first two clubs who will play RRC quarterfinal match are RK Nada Split and RK Ljubljana – Croatian and Slovenian champions. The match is scheduled for March 10th in Split. Both teams are composed of high quality and talented players eager to prove to the international scene, so we can expect an attractive and high-quality match.
On March 17th next two matches are scheduled: Esztergomi Vitézek Suzuki RSE will host RC Donau Wien in Esztergom and RK Pobednik Mozzart Beograd awaits Battai Buldoggok RC in Belgrade.
In Esztergom we are expecting the clash of two teams very equal in quality and both not hiding their ambitions to join the highest standing teams. RC Donau Wien, Austrian champion, presented themselves in their first RRC season as a solid opponent who can offer good and solid play both in Vienna and away.
The best Serbian club RK Pobednik Mozzart will welcome the second, but not weaker, Hungarian representative – the team of Battai Bulldogok RC. The Belgrade team has home ground advantage and more experience in RRC where they have finished three times as runners-up, but they can’t expect easy task. Hungarians have produced fairly portion of trouble to four time RRC champion Nada when they played in Split last autumn during Pool Phase, and motivation and stakes are much higher in this play-off match.
The fourth 2012 RRC quarterfinal match on March 18th in Zagreb will play RK Zagreb and RK Čelik Zenica. Both teams have significantly improved their game, now matching the quality of best RRC teams. There will be recognizable Zagreb “rational game” on one side, and fanaticism and fighting spirit of rugby players from Zenica, both eager to prove their return on the path to success.

On the March 3rd 2012 in the premises of RAK Olimpija in Ljubljana decisive draw was made by hand of Milan Maksimovic Max – a longtime player of Sisak, Zagreb, Green Dragons and Bežigrad.

Host team of 2012 RRC Final will be winner of Semifinal Match number 36. In other words: best team between RK Pobednik Mozzart, Battai Bulldogok RC, RK Zagreb and RK Čelik will host RRC Final.

Draw was attended by Jure Mahkota (member of the RRC Board), Saša Leskovar (member of the RRC Referee Committee), Antun Stanešić (RRC Match Commissioner in each of five RRC seasons) and Denis Veličković (RRC Competition Commissioner). Draw is even filmed by camera, but I think that we would all rather watch footage of interesting preparatory match between RK Ljubljana and RK Zagreb that was held on the same day in Ljubljana: RK Ljubljana – RK Zagreb 15:26 (10-19).

This season RRC competition showed moves towards more entertaining rugby as 95 players scored 862 points in all pool matches. As much as 125 tries scored by 82 players, 6,25 tries per match! Intensity was high, referees criteria also, and that caused a disciplinary issues with 28 yellow cards and 5 sent offs.

In tables above you can find pool phase statistics in general for 20 matches played by 13 clubs.
Scoring table:
– Total number of tries, total number of try scorers, average tries per scorer, average tries per match and average tries per club.
– Total number of successful conversions, total number of conversion scorers, average conversions per scorer, average conversions per match and average conversions per club.
– Total number of successful penalty kicks, total number of penalty kick scorers, average penalty kicks per scorer, average penalty kicks per match and average penalty kicks per club.
– Total number of drop goals, total number of drop goal scorers, average drop goals per scorer, average drop goals per match and, average drop goals per club.
Cards table:
– Total number of yellow cards, total number of penalised players, average yellow cards per match and average yellow cards per club.
– Total number of red cards, total number of penalised players, average red cards per match and average red cards per club.

Below you can find total number of matches in Pool Phase per club and average scoring per club per category of scoring (AvgPo – Average Points; AvgTr – Average Tries; AvgCo – Average Conversions; AvgPe – Average Penalties).