Match Report

Qatar Schools pulled off an astonishing comeback on Sunday afternoon in Doha, overhauling a 24 point halftime deficit to win a dramatic contest on the hooter, with Doha College prop Alex Vidler crashing over to score as time elapsed in the first official representative rugby league match to be played in the Gulf state of Qatar. It capped a thrilling finale which saw the Qatari representatives finally balancing the massive arrears, then taking the lead for the first time, only to lose it again before finally snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

Lebanon were totally dominant in the opening period, thanks mainly to Balamand High School hooker Jad Obeid’s complete control of the ruck, and Jamhour lock Joe Zeidan’s powerful ball carrying which netted him a first half hat-trick, including a stunning 70-metre gallop down the right sideline, almost a carbon copy of the try he scored in October against Saudi Schools Select in Tripoli. But the visitors lost their rhythm in the second period, with the influential Obeid suffering an elbow injury that hampered his involvement, while the tight game-plan which had served them so well was cast aside, as complacency set in.

The local boys, representing four schools and roared on by their home fans, astutely settled on Lebanon’s left edge defence as their main point of attack, and began a systematic erosion of a truncated Junior Cedars side that had been shorn of the Jerjess twins, called up by the Lebanese navy just prior to the tour.

Skipper Andrew Walters from Al Khor International School put his troops on the comeback trail early in the second period, closely followed by Palestinian forward Ahmad Barahmeh’s second four-pointer. When sprightly scrum half James Phillips took a quick tap penalty, streaking 60-metres to score, momentum had completely swung. Vidler went over to square it up at 28-28 with just less than 10 minutes remaining, before the ubiquitous Madine stepped inside Alex Latouf to race away untouched from midfield.

The tired visitors, who had virtually all the ball in the first half and none of it in the second, then caught a break when the previously faultless Doha College fullback Dan Rouseau fumbled the kick off, giving Lebanon an attacking scrum 10 metres out. Three rucks later Obeid, bravely playing on despite an injury that had massively curtailed his enormous influence on the game, touched down with Remy Daccache’s fifth conversion edging Lebanon in front 34-32 with four minutes remaining.

Some cool heads and more of the same assured ball-control they had shown in the first half was the order of the day, but the Lebanese boys, who had frittered away their huge lead with such cavalier abandon, were not about to regain their senses in such a charged and electric atmosphere. The excellent Zeidan turned hero to villain, fumbling on the first tackle directly from the kick off, giving Qatar the position from which to mount the final, decisive, attack, which left the shattered Lebanese strewn about the park and the locals in paroxysms of delight.


Qatar Schools
1.Dan Rouseau
2. Oliver Bourne
3. Alex Vidler
4. Chris Van de Walt
9. Sam Jones
5.Morne Stander
13. Deaclane Madine
6. James Phillips
22. Ahmed El Toum
8. Andrew Walters ©
20 Abdulkader Kaadan
15. Omer El Toum
4. Dan Parcell

Subs: 18. Hazzaa Al Naimi, Ahmad Barahmeh [no number] 16 Henry Davies 21 Seb Lomad

Lebanon Under-16s
1. Andreas Zachariou
16. Wael Tahach
2. Radwan El Chab
3. Ibrahim El Omran
5 Hossam Kalouch
6. Remy Daccache
11. Hilal Kaddoumi
8. Sami Assaf
9. Jad Obeid
18. Mourtaz Mrad
14. Mohamed Rifai
15. Mohamed Dennaoui
13. Joe Zeidan ©

Subs: 10. George Bejjani 12. Alexandre Latouf


Man of the Match: Deaclane Madine (AKIS)