That aspiration became a reality for Petersfield lock Franko Tomic just three weeks ago when he was called up to the Croatia international team for their Rugby Europe autumn fixtures!

Franko was born in Croatia and spent much of his childhood there before moving to the UK just 10 years ago. He joined PRFC almost instantly upon arrival through friend at work and he hasn’t looked back.

Franko is now one of the first names on the Petersfield RFC team sheet and a valued member of the club as a whole with his off the pitch duties including youth coaching and social organising. When asked about how his Croatia call up materialised, Franko said:

“I saw recently on their social media that they were about to compete in Rugby Europe Trophy competition. In the past I had ambitions to represent the national team but didn’t feel my skills were up to the level required. After a very strong season with petersfield last year, good offseason where I worked on my fitness and higher level we are playing this year I thought it could be the time to try this out. I reached out to head coach Anthony Poša and shared some clips of my games and he invited me to train with the team ahead of Sweden game. The rest is history, I have to say a massive thank you to coaches and management at petersfield, my family and friends for their continuous support to chase my dream.”

Franko was chosen to start in his first international cap when Croatia played a strong Sweden side. Despite putting up a significant fight against their European counterparts, Croatia suffered a 31-42 loss in a thriller!

As soon as wheels hit the tarmac back in England, Franko learnt of coach Poša’s intentions to include him in their next game against Lithuania. Jumping back on a plane on the Wednesday Franko found himself starting his second game for his country in the same amount of weeks, this time against North Eastern Europe side Lithuania. This time the men in red white and blue put on a show, winning 32-23 against Lithuania with a bonus point.

"Representing Croatia was an unforgettable experience. It was a huge honour to step onto the field with the national team and knowing that I was playing for something bigger. The pride I felt was immeasurable – wearing the shirt, hearing the national anthem, and knowing that my family, teammates, friends at Petersfield rugby club, and fellow Croatians were all supporting me. It’s a feeling I’ll never forget."

Over the weekend, Franko hit the road with his wife Annie on a road trip to Luxembourg where Croatia played their final Rugby Europe Trophy fixture of the 24/25. Franko once again started for Croatia who missed out on a bonus point win at the death, drawing 31-31 on what looked like a foggy fixture! Croatia now must wait until the new year to build up momentum in the Rugby Europe Trophy and we hope Franko will be a part of that squad too! finishing top of the table will give Croatia a chance to gain promotion to the men's Rugby Europe Championship.

Everyone at Petersfield RFC is incredibly proud of Franko and he thoroughly deserves all the minute he plays! Around 100 people stuck around after the 1st XVs loss to Winchester to watch him on the big screen in the clubhouse. We now look forward to having Franko back for this weekend's clash with Newbury Blues