Anselmians Rugby Club’s Harry Hopwood took part in a world record breaking 36 hour rugby match at Mullingar Rugby Club, Ireland, raising funds for LooseHeadz and Wooden Spoon charities. I caught up with Harry, who's currently in Bratislava taking a well-earned holiday, to hear about his epic experience.

A dedicated LooseHeadz player, Harry was driven by their mission to tackle mental health stigma. “I’ve played for them for years, so raising money for a cause I care about was massive. The world record was a bonus,” he grinned. Each player pledged to raise £1,500; with the support of family, friends, teammates and Anselmians’ Harry has so far raised £1,623, with donations open for another couple of weeks via his JustGiving page Here

Harry admitted he “didn’t prepare enough,” relying on rugby training and occasional runs. “Mentally, team spirit and laughter kept us going, but physically, my hips and knees were wrecked!” he laughed. Determination and camaraderie pushed him through the gruelling challenge, despite underestimating its intensity.

Mullingar's setup was out of this world, despite Harry’s dislike for playing rugby on 4G pitches. “Endless food, a great clubhouse, ice baths and an amazing support team kept us going,” he said. Banter, cheeky offloads, and even repetitive singing of one line of the chorus of Adele’s “Someone Like You” lifted spirits through a cold, wet night and scorching daytime temperatures that sparked heatstroke fears. “We had one injury, but he returned. Our opponents, The Wooden Spoon team, struggled more than us on the injury front, but we kept pushing through,” Harry recalled. Six hours in, Harry received an instruction from the touch line to tell his team to slow the pace down. Despite passing this on it was largely ignored and "we certainly suffered for it in the latter stages" he recounts.

The team surpassed the previous world record although at the time the players were not aware of their achievement! At the time of going to press, £117,000 has been raised for LooseHeadz’ mental health work and Wooden Spoon’s disability/disadvantaged sports programs. “It feels amazing to contribute to such vital causes,” Harry said, quite rightly chuffed about being part of something very special.

A highlight for the world record holders was a halftime pitch walk at the Lions vs. Argentina game at The Aviva Stadium. “The atmosphere was unreal, although there was some crowd confusion as to who these now world record holders were as many had clearly missed the stadium announcement! The Aviva pitch was perfect (a moment of reflection perhaps as he mentally compared the 4G pitch they had just spent 36 hours on!)” Many former Lions offered great support for the event and Harry quickly added “I even shook Anthony Watson’s hand!”

With 23 players per squad assembled from the UK, Ireland, France, Switzerland, and South Africa, the event underscored rugby’s power to unite for good. LooseHeadz “Hugby” campaign, launched at the Lions game, promotes rugby's ability to connection people to combat mental health problems.

Would Harry do it again? “I’m hobbling now, but I’m daft enough to say yes!”. Support Harry’s fundraising at his JustGiving page if you are able to donate. In any case, please join Anselmians in saluting his incredible effort!

#comeonannies