The Lebanese Rugby League Federation held its initial trials for the 2010 Under-16s national team on Sunday at the Olympic Stadium, Tripoli. Around 150 boys, selected from the growing number of rugby league schools in the north – which is fast becoming Lebanon’s rugby league nursery – were put through their paces by LRLF Director of Coaching Remond Safi and his team.

The schools represented were Amir Fakher Dine School, Abrine School Tripoli, Kfarhabou High School, Al Mina High School, Balamand High School, Bekrazala Public School, Lycee Abdallah Rassi Halba, Lycee Aschrafieh, Lycee Ajaltoun, Ziehrieh Public school, while other strong schools such as Balamand High School and Rawdat el Fahiet, Matronie High School Halba, Modern School Akkar, St Joesph Akkar, will send their own players next week once their exams are over.

LRLF technical director Danny Kazandjian was also present, observing not only the mass of boys but also the open age rep trials being conducted for the President’s XIII and the incumbent 2009 Liban Espoir players. “It was a fantastic day, and clearly there is a huge appetite for rugby league among an ever-growing number of schools and children in Lebanon. The coaches were all pleased with the attitude of the boys and admitted the choice available is going to make selecting the squad a really tough task.”

The LRLF will cut the squad down to 30, and then reduce it further ahead of the Junior Cedars’ March fixtures in Beirut against Saudi Schools Select and a Palestinian selection. The LRLF is also planning a Schools Invitational 9s tournament in Lebanon for May, as schools rugby league, supported in greater measures by the twin ministries of education and youth and sport, continues to flourish in the country.