Al-Galacticos of Club Libanais put clear daylight between themselves and second place Balamand on Saturday with a narrow win against defending premiers LAU. The Immortals equaled their worse start to a season, harking back to the first ever season of Lebanese rugby league. Yet two of this season's losses have been by just two and four points, with just one additional score the difference between LAU standing at 2-1 right now. Such is the parity this season, no doubt the most even in five years with each of the four competing teams capable of beating the other on any given day.

This parity was evident on Saturday evening in Bhamdoun as LAU, like a proud prize fighter, refused to stay down after being knocked to the canvas. After a combative first half, which saw LAU fullback Jawad Fakih cancel out CL wing Khalil Hijal's 16th minute opener, LAU came back from 14-4 to 14-10, and then from 24-10 to 24-20 to ensure a gripping finale. In fact, CL, despite having the better of the territory, significantly, and possession, marginally, throughout, had to thank a large portion of luck for hanging onto their club record third straight win. Up by 18-10, Pierre Nasr's sliced kick was allowed to bounce by LAU's three-quarters, with the capricious ball landing in a grateful Hijal's hands. The flanker, showing a keen eye for a score, finished unerringly, rounding LAU's cover and improving the position. Utility Rany Chahoud's second conversion proved to be Al-Galacticos' final score. The Immortals then mounted a sharp fight back, scoring two tries in six minutes. First, player-coach Ibrahim Ballout combined well with Rudi Hachache in midfield, bursting through a gap before being cut down by Nasr. The Immortals, coolly and with poise, took full advantage of the position, with Hachache grabbing his second try of the day as he dove over on the last tackle. Then, with four minutes remaining, Fakih exploited a lapse in CL concentration, haring down the blind side from a scrum to score a trademark long range try.

Those two tries -- short, sharp LAU tears in the fabric of CL's patient build up play -- exemplified the match. CL, after a shaky start, during which they had coughed up possession in their own half three times, pinned their opponents back, using their pacey three-quarters out of dummy-half and Chahoud's long kicking game to gain ground, and their rugged forward pack to keep LAU at bay. But uncharacteristic lapses in defence were exploited ruthlessly by the West Beirut outfit, whose well-engineered breaks served as preludes to their first three tries. After Hijal's opener, a strong run by the peerless Robin Hachache led to Fakih's first try. Then, in the second half, Ballout and Hachache combined twice in sets both leading to tries from the latter.

CL clearly missed the defensive qualities of trio Jean-Paul Zakhour, Roy Abla (both sick) and Ghassan Dandash (knee). Luckily for them, this handful of crucial defensive failures did nothing more than to serve as salient reminders of the suddenness in which a lead can be whittled away. In attack, the lethal midfield quartet of Chahoud at rake, Danny Chemaly and Abla in the halves, and the imperious Nasr that had cut AUB to shreds so impressively was forcibly reshuffled, with a clear impact on attacking élan. Nasr, leading from the front as always, scored two more four-pointers to tie Fakih at the top of try-scoring chart with seven, while Chemaly showed tremendous balance to stay alive after a collision with 114kgs of Rudy Hachache, and two passes later lock Youssef El Helou was in under the posts to take the score to 14-4.

Club Libanais are well placed to reach a first final -- although they are not there yet -- while for LAU the equation is simple: the Immortals need to win their last three matches, against AUB and Balamand twice, if they are to sneak in. They are eminently capable of doing so.

In the day's other match USJ showed some improvements against AUB, who are preparing for next Saturday's blockbuster against LAU.