Lebanon 74-12 Jamaica: Cedars to face Australia in quarter-finals
Lebanon will face reigning champions Australia in the quarter-finals following their 74-12 victory over Jamaica at the Leigh Sports Village.
The Cedars ran in 13 tries over the Reggae Warriors, securing second spot in group C. The biggest cheer of the afternoon went to Jamaica in the second half, as Mo Agoro raced away to score the side’s second-only World Cup try. Jordan Andrade also scoring late on.
Michael Cheika’s Lebanon face the Kangaroos on Friday at Huddersfield’s John Smith’s Stadium. It’s the second confirmed quarter-final, with New Zealand set to take on Fiji in Hull on Saturday.
Match report
Lebanon welcomed back Adam Doueihi from his one-match suspension. He was named at full-back, with Jacob Kiraz missing out.
Alex Young returned for the Reggae Warriors, having missed last week’s 68-6 defeat to New Zealand. Jy-Mel Coleman started at hooker, with Ashton Golding at loose.
The Reggae Warriors had the first chance, with Keenen Tomlinson’s effort ruled a no try by the video referee.
However, with their first real chance, the Cedars scored through hooker Michael Tannous, supporting a break up the right edge to race away and score next to the sticks on six minutes.
Abbas Miski extended that lead on the restart set, with Jamaica’s short kick-off failing to go beyond the required 10 metres. The Wigan winger crashing onto an inside ball to score a fairly simple try.
Doueihi set up the next try again on the next set. His break setting up Elie El-Zakhem to score, with Mitchell Moses converting all three for an early 18-0 lead.
It was the perfect start for Lebanon, with Reece Robinson adding his side’s fourth on 14 minutes, before Khaled Rajab added a four-pointer thanks to another break.
More tries from Charbel Tasipale and Josh Mansour gave Lebanon a 42-0 lead at the break, while Jaxson Rahme was sent to the sin-bin.
HT: Lebanon 42-0 Jamaica
Doueihi continued Lebanon’s try-scoring just five minutes into the second half. The Wests Tigers star missing the conversion, with Moses rested after the break.
The biggest cheer on the afternoon came on 50 minutes, with Keighley winger Agoro scoring Jamaica’s first try of the game – only their second of the tournament.
Lebanon hit the half century through Tasipale’s second on 55 minutes, before further tries from Tony Maroun and Miski, while Mansour completed a hat-trick.
Jordan Andrade scored Jamaica’s second on 67 minutes, crashing over under the sticks thanks to an offload from Joel Farrell.
FT: Lebanon 74-12 Jamaica
Lebanon: Doueihi, Mansour, Morkos, Robinson, Miski, Rajab, Moses, Roumanos, Tannous, Rahme, El-Zakhem, Tasipale, Kazzi. Bench: Layoun, Bazzaz, Rahme, Maroun.
Tries: Tannous, Miski (2) El-Zakhem, Robinson, Rajab, Tasipale (2), Mansour (3), Doueihi, Maroun
Goals: Moses 7/7, Doueihi 4/6
Sin-bin: Rahme
Jamaica: Jones-Bishop, Agoro, Young, Ogden, McDonald, Woodburn-Hall, Rush, McKain, Coleman, Lawrence, Tomlinson, Farrell, Golding. Bench: Brown, Wallace, Bailey, Andrade.
Tries: Agoro, Andrade
Goals: Woodburn-Hall 1/1, Rush 1/1
Sin-bin: Lawrence
Attendance: 5,006
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