Hazem El Masri is due to join Lebanon's national camp to mentor the Cedars before their match against France.
The squad is coming off a 42-18 defeat to Papua New Guinea. "Lebanon made some poor errors and got off to a slow start," El Masri said.
Asked about the 2026 Rugby League World Cup, he said a Samoa-Tonga final was a real possibility.
Now 50, El Masri retired from professional Rugby League 17 years ago after 317 NRL games. Canterbury Bankstown's leading point scorer has taken up padel, a racquet sport with more than 90,000 recent Australian participants and over 200 courts across 44 venues.
Despite a sore right knee and strapped left hamstring, he played strongly at a Sydney venue. Club Padel Spot made him an honorary member and gave him a racquet.
El Masri also spent time with local boys and older supporters. His public identity includes his faith, Lebanese heritage, anti-violence advocacy and premiership success.
He was wrongly accused in a public matter and fully exonerated in 2016.