A New Era 2004–2014
In the last 10 years covered by this history, the club has faced many challenges, ranging from dedicated work with younger generations to organizing major international tournaments and matches at the Rudeš and Kranjčevićeva stadiums.
In 2005, Tomislav Gomuzak took over as player-coach. The team held training camp in Savudrija, with the final night remaining a particularly memorable occasion. When the whole squad went out in Umag, several players spontaneously took their shirts off in a nightclub. When a bouncer asked Vedran Pomper to have the players put their shirts back on, Pomper simply smiled and replied: "Be smart... Do you have 40 bouncers?" Common sense prevailed, and the rest of the evening saw people (including other guests who enjoyed the atmosphere) celebrating unhindered and shirtless. That same year, Zagreb won the INTER-League, which consisted of clubs from Zagreb, Sisak, and Ljubljana.
In 2007, the club organized the international FIRA tournament, Zagreb 7’s. Extensive work was done on the Rudeš pitch and surrounding facilities for this event. Thanks to the tournament, Rudeš benefited from a temporary eastern stand for several years, which improved the atmosphere at home matches.
The Regional Rugby Championship (RRC), featuring 11 clubs from 5 countries, began in 2007/08, with Zagreb finishing the season in 6th place. In 2009, Suvad Kapetanović returned as coach. His unconventional methods often yielded good results. For training camp, the club traveled to a mountain retreat near Zenica.
The drive there, taken in personal cars, turned into a real adventure when it began to snow heavily. Due to poor road conditions, several cars stopped at a gas station to try and find accommodation. However, after a snowplow passed, they continued to their original destination. The training sessions in the snow in the isolated mountain location did not suit everyone; an Englishman and a Frenchman who had recently joined the squad abandoned the camp after just two sessions and left for Sarajevo. As the club had put significant effort into them, Argentinian player Gessel, who stayed, remarked: "So now I'm good enough for you, huh?" After the demanding, snowy training, Zagreb played two games in two days against RK Rudar and RK Čelik (both losses) before the team returned to Zagreb.
Zagreb finished 2009 in 7th place in the RRC with a victory against KBRK from Belgrade.
In 2010, Luka Marin took over as coach. As time went on, the squad aged, and results noticeably stagnated. On November 27, 2010, one of the strangest matches was played at Rudeš: Zagreb and Mladost met on a pitch ruined by rain, turning into a muddy quagmire. Extremely low temperatures made the playing conditions very difficult. In the end, both teams had to settle for a draw after a true trench battle. Zagreb subsequently spent two seasons languishing in the second division of the RRC.
The RRC changed its format in 2011, and Zagreb qualified for the quarterfinals, where they defeated Čelik at Rudeš (36:13). They lost in the semi-final in a tough away match against Pobednik in Belgrade (25:19).
In the 2013 Regional Rugby League, Zagreb reached the final by defeating Mladost (35:15). In the final, however, Nada from Split proved too strong (57:0). As a promise for a better future, Zagreb's U14 juniors won the double title—both the Croatian Championship and the Cup.
