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

Players from war-torn countries say they are determined to ‘give people hope’, ‘put the country on the map’ and ‘wear the badge with honour’ By No Helmets Required 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 a series of friendlies at the humble home of Bankstown Bulls, before Lebanon played an all-time World Cup classic against France in a frenzied CommBank Stadium. A few days earlier, Ukraine had played…

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