Rugby Players Set 28-Hour Record, Raise £68K for Mental Health

Two rugby teams played through the night for 28 straight hours, setting provisional world records while raising tens of thousands for mental health awareness in sports.

Sandbach Rugby Club in Cheshire hosted simultaneous men's and women's rugby sevens matches that started Friday at noon and didn't stop until Saturday afternoon. The men's team beat the existing 24.5-hour record, while the women's team set the first-ever record for their category.

Players rotated through grueling shifts that started at three and a half hours but stretched to four and a half when injuries took their toll. "You're just physically and mentally exhausted," said player Rob Smith-Owen, whose teammate tracked an astonishing 83 miles covered per player during the marathon event.

Former England and British Lions forward George Kruis joined the effort, calling it "one of the toughest but most rewarding rugby experiences" of his career. Between tackles and passes in the early morning darkness, players pushed through exhaustion knowing every minute counted toward something bigger.

The event, called 24/7s, has raised more than £68,000 for LooseHeadz, a charity dedicated to mental health support in rugby. The organization is working toward an ambitious goal: placing a mental health champion in every rugby club worldwide.

The Ripple Effect

This record-breaking weekend showed what happens when athletes channel their toughness toward breaking stigma instead of just breaking records. The money raised will fund mental health resources at rugby clubs around the world, creating safe spaces for conversations that can save lives.

The event required an army of volunteers, physios, officials, and supporters who never left the sidelines during those 28 hours. "Nothing was too much trouble," Smith-Owen said of the support staff who kept players fed, treated, and encouraged through the darkest hours.

LooseHeadz co-founder Rob Shotton praised the "collective effort" that made the achievement possible. "Every pass, tackle and step taken over those many hours helps us raise vital funds and keep pushing our mission," he said.

Both records now await final verification from Guinness World Records, but the real victory was already secured: a rugby community that proved mental health is worth fighting for around the clock.