Quote from Heathrow Harry:
"CommanderT - as you say its a well known cultural problem
Western pilots require help from ATC to identify the correct runway as they can't read the LARGE letters painted on the end of the concrete......"
If a PPRuNe pundit - under no pressure, and sitting in the comfort of an armchair - can mistake an R for a T, would it be surprising if a very busy crew mistook an R for an L? But that's not the reason for this incident.