Club Libanais scaled new heights on Saturday, comfortably defeating AUB to hit the league summit for the first time. Following a week's hiatus over Easter, the championship restarted under the glorious Bhamdoun sunshine with a contest for first place. AUB, so impressive in their dramatic opening round win against LAU, faced Club Libanais, settling comfortably into life with a vastly stronger squad than last season's. But unlike CL, AUB entered the match at less than full strength, without boom prop Adel Kanzo (broken finger) and captain Jad Abinassif, who has played his last match this season due to work commitments abroad. His organizational capacity aside, there was little the experienced scum half could have done to change the outcome of the match as AUB were shredded on the fringes.

Both sets of forwards were evenly matched, with the opening exchanges witnessing a series of full-blooded clashes, but it was out wide where Al-Galacticos held a clear advantage that was exacerbated by the loss of two of AUB's most defensively trustworthy backs, fullback Megho Keychian and centre Hashem El Hoss, during the course of the match. Defensive weaknesses were exploited ruthlessly by the black-and-golds, who hammered away at AUB's line, periodically making telling breaks through the centre channels with back rowers Hassan Merouwe, Youssef El Helou and Ghassan Dandash the beneficiaries. Merouwe scored first, then a long break by Dandash set up the position that led to El Helou's try. The lock's offload close to the line meant hooker Rany Chahoud merely had to fall over the line for CL's third score, and when fullback Pierre Nasr was on the end of some crisp passing the Wolves had conceded four unanswered tries. But three missed conversions meant AUB, 18-0 down at halftime, were still in contact, and when they scored the first try of the second period through influential lock Wael Barakat, a comeback seemed possible. But such hopes were short-lived, as CL's crack backline shifted into high gear. Two well executed second-man plays both resulted in tries by left wing Khalil Hijal, while a typically powerful run by El Helou finished off the scoring.

USJ played its third friendly of the season, taking on the Balamand Razorbacks, with the northerners, with a game in hand, gearing up for next Friday's crucial contest against the wounded Wolves, with the winner taking a share of first place.