In the Rugby Europe International Championship (Conference 1 South), Croatia once again hosts a strong Israeli side at the Siget Stadium. The question is — can coach Yelavich’s men repeat their spring success, when they showed incredible fighting spirit and secured victory with a last-second try

Before the main event, the Siget Stadium’s auxiliary field will host the Zagreb Open Championship in Rugby 7s. The U18 category will kick off at 11:00, followed by the U14 category at 12:30.

look back at the previous Croatia–Israel encounter: The Croatian national team recorded its third consecutive European victory in dramatic fashion. After Israel took an early lead, our players refused to give up and managed to score a decisive try in the dying seconds of the match to seal a famous win. Israel opened the scoring with a penalty in the 18th minute, but Croatia struck back through Čorić in the 24th minute, with Ayoub converting for a 7–3 lead — a scoreline that stood until halftime. In the second half, Israel reclaimed the lead with two penalties, but Croatia responded with a try from Marko Grčić. Just three minutes later, Israel scored and converted another try to stay ahead 12–16. For the next twenty minutes, Croatia relentlessly pushed forward, struggling to break through the strong Israeli defense. Finally, in the closing seconds, after a line-out near the try line, Čorić crossed over again, and Ayoub converted to give Croatia a thrilling last-second victory.

Last 5 matches between Croatia and Israel: Croatia 19–16 Israel (27 Oct 2018) – FIRA Championship D2 Croatia 32–17 Israel (28 Oct 2017) – FIRA Championship D2 Israel 21–26 Croatia (7 Nov 2015) – FIRA Championship D2 Croatia 31–20 Israel (8 Nov 2014) – FIRA Championship D2

Photos from the 27 October 2018 match: