Lebanon Collegiate Rugby League (CRL) Championship Returns
Lebanon’s Collegiate Rugby League (CRL) Championship returns this week, after an extended break due to the recent pandemic and domestic problems within the nation. The last CRL game was played on 28th February 2020, and after three years the CRL 2023 Championship will kick-off on Thursday March 8, 2023, at 06:00 pm with a repeat of the single CRL 2020 match between American University of Beirut (AUB) and University of Balamand (UOB) .
The CRL: 2023 Championship will consists of two round-robins and a Grand Final, in addition to a CRL Nines Circuit of two rounds. Competing thirteen-a-side varsity teams include AUB, UOB, and NDU: Notre Dame University – Louaize (NDU), and BAU: Beirut Arab University will also participate in the Nines Circuit.
“We are so excited to resume CRL activities, and looking forward to an exciting championship were all teams are on the same level. We hoped to have more participating universities, but due to the ongoing domestic socio-economic crisis some universities opted to resume rugby league activities next year.” Nayef Abi Said (LRLF CEO) noted.
Elie Gerges [UOB Captain] said: “We have been training regularly two to three times per week, and also played a few friendlies this year to prepare for this season & have a good run. We feel the pressure of wearing the UOB jersey, but we feel confident that we will go all the way and keep the trophy in the North.”
“As we finally embark on this long awaited journey, our team is fully focused and hungry to show their improvement. Rugby League is not just a physical sport, but a mental one, as well. So we want to prove to everyone that we are ready to bring the trophy back to AUB.” Jhonny Fawaz [AUB captain] said.
Abi Said added “The CRL is the oldest the LRLF championship and the backbone of our championship operations, and with it resuming we will be able to increase our pool of players as it was before the pandemic and more.”
All games will be streamed on the LRLF Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LebanonRL
