Mullingar RFC host world record breakers
Mullingar RFC played their part in a remarkable feat of endurance as four charity rugby teams broke two world records last week.
When verified by The Guinness World Record, the two charities, Wooden Spoon and LooseHeadz, will have set a record for the longest rugby games ever played. The endeavour raised around £150,000 for the charities.
The four teams, two men’s and two women’s, played the games in the intense heat on Wednesday and Thursday of last week.
On Thursday afternoon the women’s teams passed the record when they hit 24 hours and five minutes, and 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 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, who 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 10 years,” Mr Hastings told the Examiner.
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 were 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.”
All at Mullingar RFC put in a tremendous effort at short notice to facilitate the games: “We got a phone call from the Lions Trust and they asked us if we would be willing to host it and it seemed like something fun to try, so we put our hand up,” Mr McDermott said.
Anyone familiar with Mullingar RFC will know it is one of the most progressive clubs in the country and has an outstanding campus at Cullion.
Club member Clare O’Brien assisted in recording the event: “We’re independent witnesses. We are on four-hour shifts, we record everything in the match. Scores, scorers, substitutions, and player activity. It’s all documented on paper, and we have cameras in operation as well.
“The people from the Guinness Book of Records will then go over the records and make sure everything tallies.”
Clare said it was a unique event for the club: “It’s cool to be a part of. It is great to see the club growing. To have the chance to be in the record books is good for us.”
Hanna Stallard is the partnership manager with LooseHeadz and one of the organisers: “Mullingar rugby club have been phenomenal,” she told the Examiner. The project has been in the pipeline since last December: “Six weeks ago another rugby club pulled out and Mullingar stepped in, we are so grateful to them for accommodating us.”
This undertaking had 92 participants: two squads of 23 men and two squads of 23 women and players of all abilities participated in the test of stamina and teamwork.
Hannah says Mullingar turned out to be a good choice: “We booked out the Bloomfield Hotel. They were jam packed with rugby players. The local facilities are so good. We have to thank everybody who has given us such a warm welcome.”
Matt Mallinder of the Wooden Spoon charity said: “The rugby is great, and it’s great to get the world record, but this is about raising funds for two worthy charities. Every hour these players put in on the pitch makes a difference in the lives of the people who benefit from the charities,” he concluded.