Wooden Spoon and LooseHeadz smash world record in Westmeath
Mullingar Rugby Club has played their part in the breaking of a world record. The club facilitated a game in which two charity sides participated in the world's longest games of both men's and women's rugby.
When verified by The Guinness World Record two charities, Wooden Spoon and LooseHeadz, will have set a record for the longest rugby games ever undertaken and raise over £150K for charities.
The four teams, two men's and two women's, played out the games in intense heat at the Westmeath sports club.
Yesterday afternoon the women's teams passed the record when they hit 24 hours and five minutes while last night, just after 8pm, the referee in the men's game blew the whistle on the longest game.
The men passed 36 hours of continuous rugby. Vice President of Mullingar Rugby Club Denis McDermott spoke of the club's delight in being part of the event: “We were kind of delighted to get the chance. It was a tremendous opportunity to be part of rugby history.”
On hand at the end of the day was Scottish and Lions rugby legend Gavin Hastings. Hastings captained the Lions during their tour of New Zealand in 1993.
“Wooden Spoon and LooseHeadz are hoping to raise £150,000. That is amazing. My heart goes out to all the players who have been playing in this intense heat. This must be the hottest day in Ireland in the last ten years,” Mr Hastings told the Examiner.
The iconic full back said this evening's game against the Pumas is sure to be a thrilling encounter: “It's been four years since the Lions pulled on that famous red jersey. There will be a sold out Aviva to welcome the Lions as they play their first game on this island for the first time in their history. It will be a great occasion, one all Irish rugby fans will relish.”
Tilly Bennett was one of the women who participated in the 24 hour game: “It was amazing, I'm proud of every single person who was on that pitch. It was a hard decision not to carry on, but the injuries made it impossible to go beyond the 24 hours.”
Tilly said the conditions for playing were not easy: “I think that at some point I suffered heat stroke! Then at night it was freezing cold.”
Team mate Ella Wylie said her post match plans are very simple: “We might go for a bit of a swim, just to loosen up, but there is going to be a lot of sleep after that.”