‘It’s in our blood’: Lebanon, Ukraine and Syria rugby league teams fly the flag despite horrors of war at home

There are many reasons for a country to not play rugby league. Being at war does not seem to be one of them. Last Sunday, a few miles apart in Sydney, Syria and Lebanon played international fixtures on contrasting stages. Syria hosted friendlies at Bankstown Bulls, while Lebanon played an all-time World Cup classic against France in CommBank Stadium. A few days earlier, Ukraine had played a crucial European Championship match in Belgrade.

Lebanon beat France after a wild finish, suggesting they remain among the top eight teams globally despite their lower ranking due to inactivity since the last World Cup. The country has been torn apart by war in the Middle East. "Our last game together was in England in 2022," said prop Jalal Bazzaz. "So our aim was just to be good each week. We talked about giving back to where we come from, our roots. It's in our blood."

Lebanon's World Cup Impact

Back home, Lebanese sports fans have followed their country's rare appearance on a world stage. "It's on TV there," said Bazzaz. "My mum is in regular contact with people in Lebanon and they loved it. They reckon their whole place is involved. To be able to do that, it's a blessing, putting Lebanon on the map."

Lebanon were missing NRL players through injury, but that provided opportunities for others. Canterbury Bulldogs player Alex Conti became a star, conducting a head-to-head with France's Arthur Mourgue that was compared to NRL Grand Final matchups. "I wear the Cedar on my chest with honour," said Shadi Hammoud. "I'm representing my family and everyone who moved over to Australia to give us a better life."

Future Uncertain

Having lost their IRL full-member status, Lebanon are unlikely to be at the 2030 World Cup. The domestic scene stopped after the Beirut port explosion in 2020 and is only starting back up now. Despite ongoing violence, there has been a rugby nines tournament and referees course at Lebanese American University in Beirut.

Lebanon will not meet the IRL's deadline of March 2027 for consideration for the 2030 qualifiers unless the goalposts are moved. "It's quite upsetting," says Bazzaz. "All these younger guys coming through can't experience what I've experienced the last two World Cups. That's quite sad, but hopefully we can get back on track."

Syria's Rapid Growth

Syria are fielding men's, women's, boys and girls teams in Australia. Four years ago they did not exist. "Our first training session, we had two players there – now we are getting over 100," says Abdul Nabhan, Syria Rugby League president. "Players are coming from all around Sydney and from Central Coast. They see this opportunity to play for Syria and they get here."

Nabhan is working towards getting observer member status with the IRL. His biggest challenge is establishing rugby league in war-torn Syria itself, where the sport has no history. A new competition has been established and universities are signing up to compete. "It's not very stable," says Nabhan. "Rugby union is very big there and we have some players going across to Syria this week to play in the Asia Cup."

Ukraine's Resilience

Ukraine have played regularly in recent years and were up to 10th in world rankings before a surprise defeat by the Netherlands last month cost them the Euro B title. They have beaten Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Czechia since Russia's invasion. Ongoing conflicts ensure more people will be displaced and many will land in rugby league-playing communities. "My dad came over in the 1980s and people are still coming," said Bazzaz. They've been through hell and back over there. So we'll have a lot more coming through.