Inside the changing rooms, the expletives and the liniment oil are being distributed as liberally as they would be in any other country.

But hearing Arabic spoken, or should I say shouted, in this setting is something new for rugby league.  The match is a fixture in Lebanon's burgeoning domestic league.

It is a scene that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

"I remember the first games we played," says Rudy Hachache, a player on the Lebanese American University side.

"We were learning the rules as we went along, and the people watching thought it was American football. No one really had any idea what rugby league was."

The genesis of all this had a distinctly Australian accent.

Professional players of Lebanese descent based in Sydney, formed a team to compete at the 2000 world cup. The team may not have won a game at the event, but their exploits did stir up a ripple of interest back in Lebanon.

It was decided that if the country was to have a serious future in the sport then a domestic league would have to be started.

A romantic gesture

The man handed the task of starting that league was Danny Kazandjian. A former journalist form North London, he may not sound like an obvious candidate for the job.

"I was reporting on the 2000 World Cup and felt their story was a great one. My parents met in Lebanon so I have always felt an attachment to the country. This is the most romantic gesture of thanks I could think of in return! I got here in 2002 and my first big decision was to focus on the country’s universities.

"They had an existing sporting infrastructure, and also a ready pool of young sportsmen we could tap into. The universities are now the bedrock of the league, but it’s the players who have really made it work. They have taken ownership of the sport and turned a concept into something tangible."

Today a quarter of the national squad are born and bred in Lebanon, and once again the team has a world cup on its mind. After the 2004 World Cup was cancelled the squad is now aiming for 2008.
 
Their most recent qualifiers had to be re-located to London because of last year's war. But Lebanon are still well placed to reach the finals, and it is hoped this year’s decisive qualifier against Ireland can be played in Lebanon

"Their performances are a credit to the Lebanese people and their culture," says Samer El Masri, one of the Australian based professionals.

"After all the country has been through and is still going through, that these guys have kept on training and playing like this is just brilliant."

Born and bred

He's standing alongside Jad Aninassif one of the new breed of Lebanese based players who has now broken into the national squad.

"We like to think our levels are getting closer all the time. They're still that bit fitter and sharper than we are, but at least we’re not lagging behind all the time like we used to."

That desire to excel is typified by Ibrahim Ballout, a player and a coach at the Lebanese American University. Five years ago the game was still new to him, but now he loves it with the passion of a veteran.

"We went on tour to England last year and everyone was amazed Lebanon had a team. I think they thought we all lived in tents in the desert or something!

"The rest of the world seems to believe Lebanon is all about assassinations and violence, but we want to show everyone that our country is just a normal place where people love playing sport."

While the immediate and high profile future of Lebanese rugby league rests with the national team and their world cup campaign, it seems the long term future will be decided on the playing fields of Beirut. With players like Ibrahim involved it looks to be in safe hands.