MENA UNDER-16 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 2
Saudi Schools Select dominated Lebanon Junior Cedars, registering a record score in MENA youth rugby league and clinching a third successive MENA U16 Championship title.

Northern Ireland stand-off Josh Papanicolaou opened the scoring after five minutes and went on to score two more tries in an impressive attacking display. Lebanese Karim Baassiri scored either side of the break to inflict more punishment on his countrymen. 

The home side were no match for the well organised visitors, who were able to exploit Lebanon’s weak three-quarter defence with ease.Lebanon coach Nader Mgheit was left almost speechless: “I don’t know what to say. Everything we trained on yesterday was forgotten.”

Victorious Saudi coach Dave Kinkead said: “I didn’t expect this. I was happy with the boys and the performance.”

Yellow card: Awad Karma (Lebanon).

Pictured: MENA Regional Director Remond Safi hands the trophy to the victorious Saudis.

LEBANON U16
Maamoun Soufer, Georges Farah, Awad Karma, Karim Damaa, Jad Rizk, Adam Dahbache, Yehya Hussein, Karim Mekery, Hassan Alloush, Zakaria Ammar, Ayman Sultan, Georges Yazbek, Omar Marhaba. Subs: Ahmad Mahmoud, Imad Arnaout, Abed Elkarim Aboud, Bashir Ali

SAUDI SCHOOLS SELECT U16
Hakeem Al Moukhtar, Omar Fahmy, Michael van Greunen, Abdullah Kabbani, Mohamed El Obeid, Josh Papanicolaou, Kareem Selim, Rami Howell, Arran McGraith, Abdulrahman Sharkawi, Pedro Scalamandre, Muhammed Sillah, Yousef Safadi (c). Subs: Karim Baassiri, Saleh Madhoun, Omar El Fouly, Ryan Tarras