By Dan Walsh
Members of Lebanon’s World Cup outfit chased down a hotel intruder and performed a citizen’s arrest in Manchester before booking their World Cup passage to a quarter-final clash against Australia.
The Cedars lead-up to a 74-12 thumping of Jamaica was sidetracked by the theft of laptops and playing uniforms during the week, with further drama in camp in the days since.
Lebanon’s Michael Tannous swan dives over for a try against Jamaica.Credit:Getty
Coach Michael Cheika – who is now set to complete a rare coaching double in leading first Lebanon on Saturday (6.30am AEDT) and then Argentina’s national rugby union side against England two days later – confirmed players confronted a stranger who had walked into the Cedars’ team room at their Manchester Hotel.
A pursuit into the street ensued and players detained the man until police arrived.
“We had another intruder last night,” Cheika said.
“They say we’re part-timers – I think the other part-time [work] we’re doing is security.
“Someone came in the team room and I’m not sure what happened, but they called me, thank goodness, so I got down there and settled it all down and the police did their bit after that.
“It was an early kick-off [against Jamaica] – I didn’t want them chasing blokes down the street at 10 o’clock at night.
“They thought they were on an episode of Law and Order, the fellas. It has been a bit of a crazy week with all that happening and trying to not have it as a distraction.”
Authorities had already been investigating a theft earlier in the week from the Lebanon camp, though it is unknown whether the two incidents were related.
Cheika had provided much of the electronic hardware for Lebanon himself, but stressed he had deliberately kept work from his regular role as coach of Argentina’s rugby union side on separate computers.
“It was pretty weird when I woke up to do an early Zoom [on Friday morning UK time], I went down to the team room and everything was gone.
“The hotel said an hour later we’d be robbed. We got our strip back, that’s the main thing.
“The first thing I’d steal would be the Lebanese jerseys – I don’t care about the computers. But everyone’s handled those distractions pretty well, we’re pushing on past that.”
The drama did little to throw Lebanon off their game against the Reggae Warriors, who were no match for the Cedars after a threatening first five minutes from the tournament rookies.
Lebanon and Jamaica clash in Leigh.Credit:Getty
Star playmaker Mitchell Moses was kept on ice after a dominant first half with a potential grand final re-match against Australian halfback contender Nathan Cleary now awaiting in Huddersfield.
Lebanon’s win also locks in a hectic code-juggling week for Cheika, who has been setting up coaching contingencies plans with both the Cedars and Argentinian camp based in London for several weeks.
“It’s going to be one day here, one day there,” Cheika explained.
“Everything here has to be nailed down first because we are in a World Cup. I’ve done a lot of prep with the coaches from Argentina and I was able to spend a couple of days with them there.
“There’s been a lot of talk about it (the juggling), but for me it’s about doing it properly and to do it where I’m making a contribution to both teams and an important one as the coach. I think all the boys understand the scenario.
“I think you’ve got good coaches with me in both teams. The strategy will be laid out with the coaches from the Cedars and tomorrow we’ve already done some of that work with the Pumas.
“I trust the coaches who are with me implicitly, we are all the same person when we coach whether it’s Felipe Contepomi in London or Matt King here.”
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