LAU Immortals launched themselves into first place, leap-frogging Balamand and Jounieh after crushing a dispirited and demoralised USJ Saints side 50-18. It was the first time USJ had been so comprehensively beaten this campaign, but a mishap by the team administration left them with only 11 full sets of kit, forcing them to play with that number the entire match so as not to break league apparel rules.

But two more players would hardly have made a difference as LAU’s pace and hard running told in the end. Cedars front row Robin Hachache, showing his versatility by playing at fullback, was a constant menace to USJ’s inexperienced side, scoring a hat-trick and puncturing the line countless times.  LAU were given an early scare, going behind 8-0 after two well taken tries by Ramy Rassy, who this week became the first USJ player to gain representative honours after his call up for the President’s XIII, and veteran journeyman Danny Kazandjian. But any fleeting hopes the Saints might have had of a miracle win were cruelly smashed. Ray Finan powered straight in from a penalty tap after USJ’s failure to secure the kick off on 11 minutes, then Hachache returned a kick past halfway three minutes later. Plucky USJ struck back through fullback Christian Nadir, who smartly applied downward pressure on the shortest of short sides, but a minute later Hachache was put through a yawning gap by his brother, Rudy, at midfield, to give LAU a lead they would not relinquish.

Three consecutive try-scoring sets in the second-half duly broke USJ’s back as LAU registered ten tries on their way back to the summit.