First played second on Friday night with the result another re-shuffling of the league table and, more significantly, an emphatic marker put down by an LAU side gearing up for the second half of the season. Out-played by the visitors when the two sides met at LAU’s Bhamdoun home ground in early December, the Immortals returned the compliment in Balamand last night, crushing the Razorbacks with a vintage display of Immortals football. Supremely drilled and match prepared - and fielding coach Remond Safi’s strongest possible line-up following second row George Rehayem and Freddy Beaini’s return from England and Ireland respectively – the men in green were ruthlessly efficient in possession, with forwards and backs working well together to exit their red zone when pegged back by Balamand, while the best go forward in the league – a tradition LAU has maintained for the best part of five years - pounded their opponents remorselessly to win great swathes of yardage with each set.

Defensively LAU put in its best performance so far - a vast improvement from a less than impressive 22-points average-per-game conceded in LAU’s first seven outings. Brilliantly organized, they restricted Balamand to no more than a handful of half-breaks from Omar Dariwch – playing his fourth ‘final farewell’ match of the season – and Riad Khoury, Balamand’s fine fullback, through quick line speed and incessant pressure. The result, repeated whenever Balamand threatened LAU’s line, was that defensive pressure prevailed against attacking composure, with a number of promising positions that the Razorbacks had patiently built up dashed against LAU’s green wall.

No LAU Immortals performance can truly be shelved in the ‘vintage’ category though without a multi-try blitz from Rudy Hachache. In a man-of-the-match display the skilful, ball-playing forward was back to his imperious best, having struggled with a nagging groin injury for months. Setting the pace for LAU’s line speed all evening, carrying the ball strongly and directing his team around the paddock, Hachache scored on the last tackle of an opening set in which LAU had Balamand, an able defensive unit in its own right, in full retreat by playing right to the advantage and playing the ball quickly. Hachache scored an uncompromising second, before brother Robin surged through a Balamand pack that was showing signs of capitulating. But at only 16-0 down at the break the home side had gotten off relatively lightly, given the quality of LAU’s performance.

Two more tries in a four-minute spell early in the second half put the result beyond doubt, before Allen Khoury, who, with co-winger Peter Aungian excelled in taking the pressure of his forwards on countless exit sets, scored the try of the game, taking a smart off-load from Rehayem and haring 70-metres to score under the black dot. Hachache grabbed his own long range effort, beating the otherwise excellent Khoury, while Rehayem registered LAU’s eighth try with ten minutes to go. Fittingly, Darwich had the last laugh, scoring a try off his trademark left-foot step to give Balamand some cheer.

LAU will remain in first place for at least two weeks now, due to the rep hiatus, with their next game a mouthwatering clash with Jounieh mid next month.