Edinburgh player Paul Sullivan is one of several Scots currently in Ireland aiming to be a rugby union world record breaker, starting on Wednesday morning.
It’s all in the name of charity and Royal High back row forward Paul is charged with trying to play in a team match for more than the previous best of 30hrs, 29 mins, 41 secs.
At the same time a group of women will seek to better 24 hours, 5 mins and 15 secs, also at the Mullingar club, Co Westmeath.
If successful it will be the second time Paul Sullivan has entered the Guinness World Records. Back in 2020 he and Richie Munro completed 36 successful drop goal attempts in under three minutes beating the previous best for a pair set by Australian internationalists Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell.
“My journey, which concludes with a place in the crowd for the Lions pre-tour warm up match against Argentina in Dublin on Friday night, started a few months ago when I guested for an Edinburgh Accies team against a side representing the Wooden Spoon charity.
“There was a lot of chat aferwards about the record attempt and I put myself forward without knowing a lot about what training would be required – still don’t” said Paul, adding:
“It did, however, seem like a good way of marking my 49th birthday on Thursday!”
Charities to be assisted are LooseHeadz, a rugby mental health charity, Wooden Spoon and the Lions Trust which helps ex-players from the combined side who find themselves in need. The Trust is chaired by Edinburgh’s Gavin Hastings, former Scotland and Lions captain.
“At last count some £97,000 has been raised for the three charities so far and we are closing in on a target figure of £100,000” says Paul.
The Longest Game will be played under full World Rugby laws, with two teams — the LooseSpoons and the WoodenHeadz — competing in both 15 a-side men’s and women’s fixtures. Each squad consists of 23 players, meaning a total of 92 players (46 men and 46 women) and six referees, will take part across both matches. To meet the gruelling demands of a world record attempt, each player and referee is expected to clock approximately 24 hours of game time. To manage fatigue and ensure player welfare, the format allows for breaks in line with World Rugby Law, with substitutions and rotations carefully scheduled throughout the event.
This ensures the integrity of the competition while pushing the boundaries of endurance in the name of charity.
Adds Paul: “The last record attempt saw a final score of 2100 points to 1680.
“I don’t know what the final score will be this time but I am hoping there will be a pint of Guinness available when we finish around 8pm on Thursday having started on Wednesday at 8am.”
To donate to Paul’s fund raising efforts go to: https://www.justgiving.com/page/paul-sullivan-1
