BoB RL Championships - Lebanon

[Druzik]

LebRL said:

The first ever Lebanese rugby league semi final lived up to expectations, with AUB and Jounieh clashing in a full-blooded – at times literally - encounter that went down to the bitter end. In terms of sheer theatre it was reminiscent of the classic LAU versus Balamand Winter 2005 championship final. In a gripping climax, Jounieh scrum half Mohamed Mourtada’s try from dummy-half with 30-seconds to go leveled the scores at 12-12, then the former St George junior, belying his seventeen-years, nonchalantly waved away Fadi Azzam – who had already kicked both Jounieh’s goal attempts – taking responsibility for the kick himself. He coolly slotted the extras ten in from touch to send Jounieh’s players into paroxysms of delight. Azzam received possession from AUB’s subsequent, failed, short kickoff and booted the ball into touch to end a thrilling encounter

Mourtada’s last minute heroics capped a game where excitement and passion were commodities never in short supply, spectacularly so in a see-sawing final quarter which had the crowd on the edge of its seat. An already fiery affair, which had seen its fair share of invective exchanged between the two sides, came to the boil on 62 minutes when AUB fullback Wael Harb was sin-binned for swearing at the touch judge. On his way to AUB’s bench he then pushed the same official and was duly sent off. Rather than break their spirit, Harb’s departure ushered in a truly magnificent rearguard performance from the 12-man Wolves. For almost entirely all of the final quarter they were under siege inside their own red zone, unable to break out of Jounieh’s strangle-hold yet manfully refusing to allow Al-Galacticos points. But as often as AUB held firm they proceeded to cough up possession, allowing Al-Galacticos to throw more and more desperate assaults against the seemingly unbreakable red line. Azzam, Mario Eid, Youssef Helou, Alain Zreik, Ghassan Dandash and Mourtada were all stopped inches short, and captain Pierre Nasr seemed certain to score on the last until a tackle out of nowhere by Adel Kanso cut him down agonizingly short.

One of the few times AUB sallied forth they scored against the run of play to break the 8-8 deadlock. Darren Kinnaird’s kick was left to bounce by Gaby Haddad, who then joined with the covering Nasr in beseeching the ball to cross the touch-in-goal line rather than securing possession. But the capricious bounce favored the chasing Daniel Egan, returned to the fray after a spell on the sidelines with a gashed head, who pounced to score in between the two dumbstruck Jounieh players. Cue Jounieh’s unrelenting stint of pressure, with Azzam, who returned from the UAE to turn in a scintillating man-of-the-match performance, making the key break that put Jounieh into their final, match-clinching, attacking platform. It was not the first time the Liban Espoir hooker had made his mark on the game, having initially edged Jounieh into a 2-0 lead in the 2 nd minute, slotting a penalty after strong defending had forced a turnover deep in the Wolves’ half.

AUB took the lead for the first time in the match on 13 minutes when a long passing move ended with Megho Keychian in space. Azzam grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck to take back the lead on 33 minutes, dummying and going through the centre of AUB’s line to exert downward pressure under the sticks. He converted his own try to hand the black-and-golds an 8-4 interval lead. AUB would go on to outscore Jounieh three-tries-to-two but Egan, crucially, was unsuccessful with all three conversion attempts. It was a brutally hard fought match in which Al-Galacticos’ forwards won a points decision against their opponents. The Corniche-siders’ pack lost George Helou, in the first half, and Joe Hitchon - one of AUB’s best on the day - in the second, with neither able to return to the game, as well as Egan, all with badly bloodied faces. In the second period, Akram Al-Chamaa converted another well crafted AUB attack on 49 minutes to make it 8-8, ushering in a final 30-minutes of unremitting, cruel defending and excruciating drama.

The victory sees the defending champion Al-Galacticos head towards next Saturday’s final date with table topping LAU.

[Druzik]

www.lebrl.com

LebRL said:

Bank of Beirut RL Championship : LAU 21-30 Jounieh

Al-Galacticos of Jounieh RLFC successfully defended their crown on Saturday, defeating LAU 30-21 in an exciting Bank of Beirut Rugby League Championship final. Although they won last season this was Al-Galacticos’ first final due to the crisis-enforced stoppage last May which saw them crowned champions by LRLC decree. In a see-sawing match, in which the lead changed hands four times, two breakaway tries from centre Ghassan Dandash and second row Ahmad El Masri proved the key moments.

Dandash’s 57th minute score was the most crucial. It not only stopped the rot for Jounieh, who had seen the Immortals register the last four scores to seize and then extend their lead, it deflated LAU, who had worked so hard and so well to patiently build up a 17-10 lead, all the while chipping away at Jounieh’s confidence. Then, with six minutes left, El Masri’s score gave the black-and-golds an insurmountable 30-21 lead.

Jounieh, hardened by their epic semi-final with AUB, got out of the blocks quickest, taking the lead inside three minutes with Dandash powering over off Pierre Nasr’s ball - although they benefited from the officials’ failure to see a clear Nabil Dora knock on in the build up. LAU struck back on 11 minutes through dangerman Karim Jamal, who re-gathered his chip on the last to make it 6-6. Jounieh then hit back through another well worked backline move as Pierre Nasr waltzed past four attempted tacklers – a sign of things to come for LAU – to give Jounieh a four-point lead.

Halves Danny Chemaly and Mohamed Mourtada had combined well to engineer two tries, but tactically their influence over the game began to ebb, with Mourtada in particular becoming a peripheral figure, just as that of LAU’s halfbacks’ grew. On 26 minutes LAU took the lead as their grip over a hesitant Jounieh side burgeoned. Pressuring Jounieh’s line LAU span the ball wide, with centre George Rahal managing to put fullback Allen Khoury in for a fine try at the corner. LAU edged to 14-10 on the halftime hooter, with Jamal kicking a penalty from halfway as Jounieh were reduced to 12-men following Rabieh El Masri’s sin-binning for pushing Hanny Rifai in the face.

The Immortals, five times champions, then continued to dominate for much of the third quarter. Jamal kicked his fourth goal after more pressure on Jounieh’s line had forced another penalty, then scrum half Jad Hachem slotted a 30-metre field goal to give his side a two-score advantage. Visibly deflated, Jounieh, who had had a try disallowed by a premature intervention from the referee, needed a lift - which the combative Dandash duly provided. Scooting from inside his own half he galloped towards the right touchline, beating fully five LAU tackles before eventually scoring under the posts. Seven minutes later Jounieh took back the lead, 18-17, through Fadi Azzam’s third goal as Jounieh pounded the Immortals’ line.

Jamal’s kicking game then gave LAU the chance to edge in front once more, with Dandash dropping a towering bomb, handing the Immortals the position from where wing Bahije Saidar finished off another slick attack out wide. Controversy ensued, with Jamal’s conversion finally being dismissed, giving LAU a 21-18 lead. It was now time for LAU’s defence to waver.

With 10-minutes remaining lock Youssef El Helou – Jounieh’s best defender all day – charged over from a penalty tap, with Mourtada’s kick being waved good, much to the dismay of LAU’s disgruntled players. Then El Masri was somehow allowed to puncture LAU’s line direct from a penalty, streaking away to score the final try and clinch the championship.

[jim]

first ever final was it not?

good news, any word on the crowd?

Does this mean the Lebanon euro-med home game will go ahead?

[Druzik]

There have been finals before... but Jounieh being defending chjampions won last year by default because of the war.

Yes looks like the Lebanon home game is going ahead... Serbia will be traveling to play them I think.

[Druzik]

Bank of Beirut RL Championship : AWARDS CEREMONY
Last Updated: Friday, July 04, 2008.


Lebanese rugby league staged a glittering awards ceremony on Friday night at the five star Le Meridien Commodore hotel in Hamra, Beirut, following the conclusion of the Bank of Beirut Rugby League Championship earlier three weeks ago. Sponsors Bank of Beirut were represented by Roger Abboud, the head of the banks credit card division, while members of Lebanon’s press corps also attended.

Abboud was fulsome in his praise of his company’s partnership with Lebanese rugby league: “Bank of Beirut always takes its social responsibility very seriously, and supports Lebanese sports for this reason. Rugby league fits the personality of Bank of Beirut as it reflects the spirit of youth and its dynamism…Some people thought we were taking a big risk in sponsoring a sport which most Lebanese haven’t heard off, but I am very happy to say that we have been proved correct and are delighted to be backing this championship for the next four years.”

LAU Immortals forward Robin Hachache was the biggest winner, taking the coveted John Elias award, named after Lebanese rugby league’s founder, as player of the season, as well as the representative player of the year, LAU clubman of the year and players’ player of the year awards. Hachache won four caps with the Cedars in last autumn’s world cup qualifiers before spearheading Liban Espoir’s 48-18 rout of the UAE side in March as well as LAU’s table-topping finish.

The LRLC also instated a new honour, following a global rugby league tradition of naming a championship final man-of-the-match award after a home rugby league personality. Thus, the Darren Maroon Award, won by Jounieh lock Youssef El Helou, was inaugurated to commemorate the serving Cedars coach’s run of 13-matches without defeat – the second longest in the game’s history.



Full list of medalists:

John Elias Award: Robin Hachache (LAU Immortals)

Darren Maroon Award: Youssef El Helou (Jounieh Al-Galacticos)

Representative Player of the Year: Robin Hachache

Young Player of the Year: Ramy El-Rassy (USJ Saints)

Coach of the Year: Jean Paul Zakhour (Jounieh Al-Galacticos)

Players’ Player of the Year: Robin Hachache

Top Scorer: Wael Harb (AUB Wolves)

Fullback of the Year: Riad Khoury (Balamand Razorbacks)

Wing of the Year: Megho Keychian (AUB Wolves)

Centre of the Year: Ramy El Rassy

Halfback of the Year: Darren Kinnaird (AUB Wolves)

Loose Forward of the Year: Wael Tawil (Balamand Razorbacks)

Second Row of the Year: Ahmad El Masri (Jounieh Al-Galacticos)

Prop of the Year: Adel Kanso (AUB Wolves)

Hooker of the Year: Fadi Azzam (Jounieh Al-Galacticos)



AUB
Clubman of the Year: Karim Mourabet
Most Improved Player: Christopher Hobeiche

Balamand
Clubman of the Year: Wael Tawil
Most Improved Player: Firas El Mir

Jounieh
Clubman of the Year: Hassan Merouwe
Most Improved Player: Elie Khoury

LAU
Clubman of the Year: Robin Hachache
Most Improved Player: Ahmad Fadlallah

USJ
Clubman of the Year: Rony Akel
Most Improved Player: Zahi El Meer

[jim]

Season Highlights Here

[Druzik]

Jim hope you don't mind modified the post to bring the clip up in the thread... I love these new features!

[jim]

Turns out this is more of a bloopers reel than season highlights...

Guess I should have watched it brfore posting it.

[Druzik]

1:48 the guy having a hissy fit is piss funny

[Druzik]

Results so far

Round Date Games
1 10 Nov AUB 35 def. JOU 14 LAU 58 def. BAL 04 USJ Bye
2 28 Nov USJ 24 def. BAL 16 LAU 18 def. JOU 08 AUB Bye
3 06 Dec LAU 36 def. AUB 24 JOU 28 def. USJ 18 BAL Bye
4 12 Dec JOU 40 def. BAL 30 USJ 26 def. AUB 30 LAU Bye
5 20 Dec LAU 30 def. USJ 08 BAL 36 def. AUB 30 JOU Bye
6 17 Jan JOU 44 def. AUB 22 LAU 52 def. BAL 06 USJ Bye


Table
Pos. Team P W L D + - Diff Pts
1 LAU 5 5 0 0 194 38 156 10
2 Jounieh 5 3 2 0 132 125 7 6
3 USJ 4 2 2 0 76 90 -14 4
4 AUB 5 1 4 0 119 156 -37 2
5 Balmand 5 1 4 0 92 204 -112 2

[Druzik]

One match played last weekend in the BoB LC
www.lebrl.com

BOB RL CHAMPIONSHIP: LAU 16-14 JouniehLast Updated: Wednesday, January 28, 2009.

Saturday afternoon, as first clashed with second in a fiery encounter at Bhamdoun. Rain, intermittent fog and sunshine contributed to the dramatic nature of a match that was decided in unbelievable fashion on the hooter. With the sides locked at 14-all, LAU captain Robin Hachache hoofed the ball downfield as time expired, only for Jounieh fullback Christian Nadir to lie motionless with the ball in his grasp, leaving referee Faysal Jaber no choice but to rule voluntary tackle 30-metres from Jounieh’s posts. Jounieh players remonstrated, LAU coach Remond Safi screamed instructions to take a shot at goal as his players toyed with notions of a quick tap, before Jaber dismissed garrulous Jounieh captain Ghassan Dandash, paying the price for his petulance. But the scenes following Karim Jamal’s goal, which give LAU the points and maintained their perfect record, were the abiding memory as Dandash compounded his disgrace by sprinting onto the field towards Jaber before being held back by his team-mates to cap a wild 60-seconds.

Crazy antics aside, it was the best match of the season; not necessarily the best display of attacking football – USJ’s 13 December win over AUB probably wins that gong – but arguably the toughest defensive duel of the championship, which is now at its midway point for the two protagonists, who must be odds on favourites to repeat last season’s final. With the conditions playing a major part, both teams coughed up possession liberally, but the defences were solid enough to withstand the majority of attacking raids thrown their way. With the victory, LAU ties its club-record streak of six wins (set twice in the Spring 2005 and 2007 seasons) and with another victory will tie AUB’s league record of seven straight, set in the inaugural season, Winter 2002.

Ultimately, discipline was the biggest contributing factor. Apart from Dandash’s dismissal, Jounieh lost centre Khodr Salameh for ten-minutes in the second half for a late shoulder to prone LAU half Jad Hashem, and were on the short end of the 15-5 penalty count. Despite this imbalance they should have taken at the very least a share of the spoils and played some good football, albeit in patches.

A cagey first half saw Rabie El Masri give Al-Galacticos a 6th minute lead, but LAU went into the sheds ahead 6-4 courtesy of Ray Finan’s 38th minute try. Jounieh went up 14-6 through five-eighth Pierre Nasr’s 46th minute effort and Dandash’s well worked try 16 minutes later. Jounieh’s stark inferiority in dealing with kicks also gave LAU the tactical edge, and given field position the Immortals had the footballing ability to turn chances into points. Diminutive fullback Allen Khoury, in the form of his life as the rep season approaches, was twice the beneficiary as LAU put some width into their play, scoring in the 69th and 75th minutes to bring it back to 14-14 and setting the stage for the grand, shocking finale

[Druzik]

Latest results from the BoB championships... rounds 8 and 9

The Immortals turned in a professional display on Sunday lunchtime to comfortably dispatch a brave AUB side and extend their lead to six points at the top of the Bank of Beirut Rugby League Championship table. Having pulled out to a 20-0 lead they allowed the plucky Wolves to close to 26-20 with 19 minutes left before scoring three more tries to snuff out any further resistance.

Their seventh straight win ties AUB’s single-season record set in the 2002 Winter Championship, and one more win, against USJ on 28 February, will equal Balamand’s league record of eight successive victories, transcending both 2004 seasons (the final match in the Spring season and all seven matches in the truncated Winter Championship).

Once again, size and strength set the standard for LAU, with second row Ahmad Al Masri and prop Nayef Abisaid particularly prominent, while Rudy Hachache, shifting his 120kg frame to stand-off, was his usual threat close to the try-line, scoring three tries as AUB ran out of steam. The Corniche-siders had started well, applying sustained pressure to the green-and-white line, but coach Remond Safi has instilled a new steel – noticeably missing last season – into their defence, especially on the goal-line. Try as they may, AUB couldn’t get over the whitewash, and in an instant LAU had turned defence into attack when wing Bahije Saridar streaked away down the right touchline from his own 20 to give LAU a 10th minute lead. Ten minutes later Hachache registered his first, and was joined in the 27th and 39th minutes by rookie back row Hanni Assi and Abisaid. AUB hooker Wael Harb scored on the hooter to give his side a shard of light.

Three well taken tries in 15 minutes, with rookie wing Mark Daarouni’s second- and third-effort run particularly impressive, put AUB to within striking distance, but the attrition of a physical match meant they were rapidly running out of troops, allowing LAU to comfortably pull away.

Ugly scenes marred Jounieh’s wild clash with USJ on Sunday afternoon, with the chaos bizarrely echoing other isolated incidents in Lebanon at the same time following the anniversary of former PM Rafiq Hariri’s assassination on 14th February. Not only was the match pockmarked by a brawl at halftime, but gunfire in the mountain region around Bhamdoun between rival political groups forced teams, officials and spectators to take alternative routes home as the army restored order.

The latter was noticeably absent from a roller-coaster of a match that swung and meandered, ebbed and flowed until Jounieh maintained its second place in the table thanks to two pieces of Jad Abinassif quick-thinking. Tied at 24-24 the Jounieh scrum half, who made a successful return to Lebanese rep football last week for Liban Espoir after a year in Qatar, chipped the go-ahead field goal in the 71st minute. Then, in the final seconds he gathered his own adroit chip kick to slide in and seal an exciting match.

Without Youssef El Helou and the suspended Ghassan Dandash, Jounieh struggled defensively, and were largely unable to contain USJ’s strong go-forward, provided by Rony Akel and Khaled Rifai, both new additions to the rep side this year. Having taken the lead through Karim Mourabet on 12 minutes, Jounieh trailed 10-8 at the interval following Saints tries from Joseph Bekhache and Hanna Hajjar. On the hooter Roy Akel and Karim Mourabet were involved in a scuffle that sucked in a host of people, including a handful watching in the stands, an incident that is almost certain to result in further disciplinary action from the LRLC.

With plenty of feeling injected into the game both sides, now reduced to 12-men apiece after Akel and Mourabet’s sin-binning, traded scores. Three times Jounieh touched down, but this USJ side is no longer the paper-weight of a year ago, and three times they answered, through Akel, Bekhache again, and rookie wing Fred Mark, only for Abinassif’s experience and skill to prove the difference in an otherwise hectic and mistake-riddled contest.

The Saints registered the double over AUB to stay in touch with second placed Jounieh as the Bank of Beirut Rugby League Championship enters its second half. With league officials only passing the battered and sodden Bhamdoun surface playable after a morning pitch inspection, it was USJ who dealt with the trying conditions marginally better than their opponents. A thin layer of snow gave way to freezing sleet and bitter winds, all under a stormy, gloomy sky, rendering handling treacherous and putting the onus on ball retention.

With ball movement at a premium the match essentially came down to a series of personal duels between the 34-players. In Rony Akel, Khaled Rifai and the inimitable Ramy Rassi, USJ’s best were too good for their opposites, especially after Espoir hooker Wael Harb succumbed to a shoulder injury sustained last week and had to sit out the second half. Gutsy defensive effort from the sorely depleted West Beirut outfit, who were without halfback Ramy Arbid, who broke and dislocated his ankle last week, and the suspended Akram Al Chamaa, fought off numerous USJ raids, but the reds, who fielded 42-year-old player-coach Faysal Jaber and prop Adel Kanso in the halves, were simply unable to hold onto the ball, let alone penetrate USJ’s line, as the game wore on.

USJ went into an 8-0 lead through two bullocking Rassi tries, but AUB went into the sheds in front courtesy of Harb and centre Nader Dirham’s scores, plus a Harb conversion. But the second half saw the blue-and-grays take control, with unsung workhorse Rony Akel scoring a double in less than 10 minutes, which meant AUB had to score twice. USJ’s defence, which leaked a league record 380 points last season, is a different proposition this year, and although far from watertight it is now far more prepared to scrap in the trenches. In the prevailing conditions, and with AUB failing to mount any pressure, that desperation was enough to hold the line and clinch a tough two-points.

AUB, semi finalists last season, have now lost six successive matches and face a do-or-die clash with bottom Balamand on Friday. With the top three making post-season a change in form could see either side challenge for a semi-final berth, however unlikely that might seem at the moment.

[Druzik]

www.lebrl.com/

LRLC HANDS OUT RECORD NUMBER OF SUSPENSIONS
Last Updated: Monday, February 26, 2007.

The LRLC has handed out a record haul of suspensions following the unruly scenes at Bhamdoun during the 15th February match between Jounieh RLFC and USJ Saints, when a scuffle at halftime drew in spectators and personnel from both benches.

LAU forward Ahmad El Masri (pictured) and Jounieh centre Karim Mourabet were both slapped with three-match suspensions, for invading the pitch with aggressive intent and action, and punching, respectively. Mourabet’s poor disciplinary record was also taken into consideration.

Fully 10 other individuals – including players from teams not involved in the match – have been found guilty of breaching league regulations.

LAU’s Hanni Assi and AUB’s Akram Al Chamaa, who both leapt the fence to enter the playing area from the grandstand, were both handed two-match bans for a serious breach of the LRLC’s ‘sideline conduct’ restrictions, while five USJ and two Jounieh players were slapped with one-match suspensions, as well as both coaches, who although trying to restrain their players, were both found guilty by the three-man match judiciary panel of leaving their technical areas.

LRLC COO Danny Kazandjian commented: “unfortunately we witnessed another outbreak of loutishness and stupidity from some people who should know better. The damage rugby league’s image suffers through these incidents, especially if watched by parents, their children or disseminated to the public at large by the media, is significant. Such acts will not be tolerated and the LRLC is determined to confront such acts with stern measures, but ultimately we hope some of the offenders will begin to act more responsibly in the future.”

[Druzik]

Team P W D L B F A PD PT
10 27 Feb BAL vs. AUB LAU vs. USJ JOU Bye 1 LAU (LAU) 9 7 0 0 2 248 72 176 14
11 06 Mar BAL vs. LAU AUB vs. JOU USJ Bye 2 Jounieh (JOU) 9 4 0 3 2 177 167 10 8
12 13 Mar LAU vs. JOU BAL vs. USJ AUB Bye 3 USJ (USJ) 9 3 0 3 3 120 131 -11 6
13 20 Mar USJ vs. JOU LAU Bye BAL Bye AUB Bye 4 AUB (AUB) 9 1 0 6 2 149 232 -83 2
14 27 Mar BAL vs. JOU USJ vs. AUB LAU Bye 5 Balamand (BAL) 9 1 0 4 4 92 204 -112 2
15 04 Apr LAU vs. USJ AUB vs. BAL JOU Bye

[Druzik]

Next round of the Bob have been played. USJ continue to be the surprise packet while LAU continued their dominating run.

BOB RL CHAMPIONSHIP: LAU 10-4 Jounieh
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 17, 2009.

Another tense affair between the top two ended with an LAU victory in stormy conditions on Saturday lunchtime. The result was the second time that LAU, whose average margin of victory is 22-points this season, has beaten their closest rivals by a one-score margin - which suggests another chapter in their bitter saga may play out in the final.


Both teams were depleted, with LAU especially so, missing first choice halves Karim Jamal and Jad Hashem and four forwards, while Jounieh were without captain Pierre Nasr and suspended duo Ghassan Dandash and Karim Mourabet. Immortals coach Remond Safi was forced to play chief go-forward threat Robin Hachache in the halves, but will have been delighted by Ray Finan, Ramez Ghandour and Nayef Abisaid’s efforts in the trenches.

The West Beirut outfit set the tone early with its defence, with Ghandour and hooker Hanni Rifai particularly destructive. Jounieh only managed to complete two sets in the first half as their big men spilled ball after ball in the collision. By the time they had accustomed themselves to the conditions LAU had jumped out to a 10-0 lead through 9th and 21st minute tries from Hachache and Finan.

The second half, with LAU now shorn of form fullback Allen Khoury with hypothermia, witnessed an epic Immortals rearguard action that encapsulated the improvement in their defence this season. Al-Galacticos, who benefited from a massive 19-7 penalty count and a ton of possession on the green-and-whites’ line, could only manage one score, courtesy of captain Youssef El Helou on 77 minutes. Despite the second half introduction of Cedars halfback Jad Abinassif, Jounieh refused, or were unable, to change their tactics, eschewing any width and instead choosing on a series of fruitless close-range lunges against the Immortals’ closed ranks.

The emotional scenes following the victory was testament to the effort LAU had expended throughout the game. Jounieh, barely hanging onto second place with a 4-5 record, now face back-to-back matches against bottom placed Balamand in the final quarter of the season.

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BOB RL CHAMPIONSHIP: Balamand 18-18 USJ
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 17, 2009.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. A last minute try by USJ’s emblematic captain Ramy Rassi ensured a share of the points in the fading light at Bhamdoun, and tightened the bunch jostling for position behind runaway leaders and qualified finalists LAU. Balamand, who narrowly lost to AUB last week, are still three points off fourth position but have a game in hand and play their direct rivals in all those matches, meaning the northerners are still very much in the hunt, in spite of their small squad and horrendous defensive record.


They could have been closer to the chasing pack but for Rassi’s dramatic personal intervention. Up 18-14, Balamand had a penalty 20-metres out from USJ’s line, but fullback Riad Khoury’s crabbing run ended in disaster when he lost possession, with the capricious ball landing in Rassi’s hands. It was all Balamand’s chasers could do to prevent him from improving the angle, with Maher Cherfan missing the potentially game-winning conversion on the hooter.

Centre Mounib Ismael scored first for Balamand in the 9th minute, and nearly doubled the lead when a slick passing move ended with him tip-toeing fractionally into touch on his way to what would have been a spectacular score. Ismael’s opposite number Hanna Hajjar then tied the score at 4-4 after Balamand were penalized for incorrect scummaging inside their red zone, but the Razorbacks’ captain Wael Tawil re-established the four-point margin with a solo effort through some weak defence on 25 minutes. The Saints hit back swiftly, when stand-off Joe Bekhache dove over from acting halfback on 30 minutes, with Rassi’s goal giving USJ a 10-8 halftime advantage.

The same pattern repeated itself in the second period, with the visitors’ two scores pegged back by a tenacious USJ. On 48 minutes Balamand scrum half Darwich Darwich, recently recuperated from a bad injury with Liban Espoir in August 2007, scored his first try since May 2007 to give Balamand a 12-10 lead, with Khoury missing a relatively easy conversion. Saints scrum half Zahi El Murr regained the lead, 14-12, on 52 minutes after USJ had kept the ball alive, only for Khoury to redeem himself in the 65th minute with a typically weaving run that put his side 18-12 to the good following Tawil’s sideline conversion.

Both sides face an interesting run into the end of the season. Both have a game in hand over AUB and Jounieh, but USJ have to play LAU one more time, while the Razorbacks face two consecutive matches against second placed Jounieh.