BoB RL Championships - Lebanon

[Druzik]

08/09 BANK OF BEIRUT CHAMPIONSHIP
P W L D + - Diff Pts
1 LAU 10 10 0 0 304 80 224 20
2 Jounieh 9 4 5 0 205 207 -2 8
3 USJ 8 3 4 1 142 165 -23 7
4 AUB 9 3 6 0 197 248 -51 6
5 Balmand 7 1 5 1 122 270 -148 3

[Druzik]

Balamand 24 Jounieh 4
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Balamand produced their most commanding display of the season on Saturday afternoon, suffocating slumping Jounieh to register a vital win as the tussle for top three heats up. Belying their horrendous defensive record, which had seen the Razorbacks concede over 33 points-a-game in their previous eight outings, the northerners were rock solid against Jounieh, conceding only Paul Jabbour’s 29th minute try. Other than that close range effort it was all Balamand, with captain Wael Tawil (pictured) kicking five goals and scoring a vital 35th minute try to record 14-points.

The defending champions, who have now dropped three straight, were once more let down by their indiscipline, poor handling and weak defence on the edges. Prop Elie Helou was given ten minutes late in the second half for a petulant slap to a prone Sami Mansour, while fullback Christian Nadir, who once again had a shaky game at the back, was similarly yellow carded for a professional foul on 61 minutes. Al-Galacticos have now received six yellow and one red card this season, the worst disciplinary record in the competition. Nadir was ordered off after a long 80-metre scrum-base break from Balamand fullback Riad Khoury was cut down five metres from his goal-line by Jounieh’s impressive wing Talal Harmouche. With Balamand set to score on the next ruck Nadir tackled Najy Bassil from an offside position to see yellow. From the resulting penalty Khoury, Balamand’s top try-scorer, managed to squeeze over for his seventh try of the year to make it 20-4.

Tawil then slotted over two penalties as Balamand, efficiently simple with the ball, turned the screw, forcing a frustrated and erratic Jounieh to tackle and search for big plays to get themselves back into the game. That they didn’t possess the ability was evident throughout much of a match in which, like last week against LAU, numerous attacking forays fizzled out through dropped balls or errant passing. When they did manage to chain a couple of passes together, Balamand’s excellent three-quarter defence was not breached, while the same corps of backs was indefatigable in clearing their own lines when in possession.

Centre Mounib Ismael got the scoring underway in the 4th minute. A Tawil conversion and penalty put the visitors 8-0 up before Jabbour halved the lead, but Nadir’s fumble from a missed touch-finding penalty gave Balamand the position from which Tawil surged over to give Balamand an advantage that would not be threatened.

For imploding Jounieh the alarm bells are now ringing louder than ever. They welcome back suspended duo Ghassan Dandash and Karim Mourabet next week when they travel north in a rematch against a Balamand side that has taken all five of its points away from home but which still has a game in hand. For both teams, defeat is now unthinkable, while Saturday’s USJ v AUB clash is sure to have a bearing on both of their seasons

[Druzik]

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Defending champions Jounieh ensured a repeat of last year's Bank of Beirut Rugby League Championship final against LAU after a convincing victory against USJ Saints in an entertaining final eliminator.

A strong first 40 minutes proved decisive, with Al-Galacticos registering five tries to USJ's one to enter the break well in control at 30-6. That lead sufficed in the face of a plucky fightback by a USJ side that few had tipped to even make it into the post-season let alone qualify for the final.

The Saints closed the gap to 12 points with five minutes left, before Jounieh centre Karim Mourabet sealed the victory with his second chip-and-chase try of the match.

That gutsy fightback was led by the inimitable Ramy Rassi, USJ's dynamo captain who has been at the heart of most of the good things his side has done this season. If USJ were to compete, Rassi would have to perform, and that he did, registering 14 second half points from a personal game haul of 16 to put the cat firmly among the pigeons.

He had his own duel with Jounieh's best on the day, five-eighth Paul Jabbour, who would go on to eclipse his young Lebanon internatinal team-mate, scoring four tries in an impressive tally of 22-points.

The first ten minutes of an exciting and fluid match were played largely in midfield, with neither team enjoying field position.

Jounieh made the breakthrough on 10 minutes through Jabbour, with a series of astute offloads that set the tone for their enterprising approach to the contest.

Mourabet's speculative 16th minute try put Jounieh 10-0 up before Frederic Makhlouf gathered Ziad El Murr's searching kick downfield.

Five minutes later, Pierre Nasr scored a trademark interception return to put the black and golds 16-4 up. Rassi's penalty closed the gap to 10 points but then disaster struck with Jounieh, making hay on the edge of USJ's defence, scoring three tries in the final seven minutes of the half to seize total control.

Jabbour and Makhlouf traded early second half scores before a lapse in Jounieh discipline allowed Rassi to embark on his scoring rampage, but it was too little too late.

USJ can hold their heads up high for their performance, while Jounieh will be contemplating a gripping final with the perfect Immortals on Saturday.

[Druzik]

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This is an upset and a half!

Jounieh Al-Galacticos secured back-to-back titles in the club’s second year of existence on Saturday, edging a gripping Bank of Beirut Rugby League Championship final 30-28 against LAU Immortals.

Paul Jabbour’s 79th minute try shattered the table-topping Immortals’ perfect season, after LAU, whose 2005 squad was the last team to win repeat championships, went through the regular season with twelve straight wins.

Jounieh now moves level with AUB Wolves and Balamand Razorbacks with two titles, behind LAU’s five.

LAU will certainly be in reflective mood: rueful that they dropped the final for the second straight year after topping the regular rounds; that they eschewed five kickable penalties in the first half; that they frittered away key strike weapon Rudy Hachache, injured in the dead rubber against AUB in the last game of the season; and the fact that they allowed a seemingly exhausted Jounieh side back into the dramatic contest.

As a game of rugby league, the match was scrappy but as a piece of theatre it was indeed worthy of the stage, with its frenetic ebb and flow adding to the spectacle in front of a vocal, partisan 250-strong crowd.

In a proverbial game of two halves, Jounieh dominated the first 24-6, LAU the second 22-6, with opposing stand offs Jabbour and Karim Jammal, who scored 18 and 16 points respectively, the architects of their teams’ attack.
Fittingly, the pair were at the heart of the game’s thrilling denouement.

The Beirutis, having scored 18 unanswered points to draw level at 24-24, then seized a 75th minute lead as Jammal cut through Al-Galacticos’s stretched defence.

But, having already kicked two touchline conversions, he missed, giving Jounieh a final chance.

Turning immediately from hero to villain, it was Jammal who allowed the champions to launch their final, decisive attack. His forearm to Mario Eid’s head gave Jounieh a penalty just inside LAU’s half and three plays later a sweeping passing move set up the position from which Jabbour scooted over with 60 seconds remaining, his simple conversion giving his side victory.

That the match would go on to reach such a tight climax would have surprised most observers following a first 40-minutes dominated by the black-and-golds – not without some good fortune.

Having staved off the Immortals’ first attack, Jounieh struggled to gain much ground, forcing Jabbour to kick from deep his own half.

But two providential bounces eluded LAU fullback Allen Khoury and wing Joe Safa, with the ball landing in the hands of Karim Mourabet who scorched away to score between the posts.

Five minutes later Al-Galacticos doubled their lead to 12-0 when centres Ghassan Dandash and Mourabet combined in midfield, the latter then putting prop Mounir Finan, one of Jounieh’s best on the day, through a gap to score from 20-metres out.

By the 27th minute Jounieh was 18-0 up. LAU’s international centre Mohamed Jamil was stripped of possession inside his opponent’s quarter, Jean Paul Zakhour then offloading to impressive wing Talal Harmouche who sped 50-metres up the left touchline.

On the next play the ball, with LAU’s shot defence straggling back, Dandash went straight through on an arcing run to score.

On 31 minutes LAU cut the gap to twelve thanks to their strong defence. Dandash was bundled into touch near his own line, setting up the position whence fiery hooker Hanni Rifai squeezed over from dummy half.

But Jounieh, crucially, re-established their 18-point lead when Jabbour collected skipper Youssef Helou’s smart offload and jinked his way through to score as the hooter sounded.

It could have been the knockout punch, yet it served only to make LAU’s heroic comeback that more astounding.

On 46 minutes Jamal dummied his way over to score in the right hand corner and with scrum half Jad Hashem getting more involved and Jounieh struggling with LAU’s greater fitness, the Immortals set up camp in the champions’ half.

Jounieh fullback Pierre Nasr, otherwise outstanding on the day, made a spectacular blunder, stepping into touch trying to field Jamal’s last tackle clearance kick, and from the resulting scrum Robin Hachache scored in exactly the same position as Jamal had five minutes earlier.

Ten minutes later it was all square as the Immortals surged forward to the delight of their vociferous supporters.

Mohamed Jamil took a simple hit up, beating four Jounieh defenders as he crashed sensationally over from 30 metres out.

With eighteen minutes to go, a game that had swung violently from one side to the other still had a reserve of surprises as it sucked the crowd into the final, enthralling conclusion.

Saturday May 16: Bank of Beirut Championship Final

Jounieh Al-Galacticos 30 (24) – LAU Immortals 28 (6)

Jounieh
Tries: Paul Jabbour 2, Karim Mourabet, Mounir Finan, Ghassan Dandash
Goals: Jabbour 5/6

LAU
Tries: Karim Jammal 2, Robin Hachache, Hanni Rifai, Mohamed Jamil
Goals: Jammal 4/6