17 hours ago
Welsh couple set to break Guinness World Record in brutal rugby challenge
Welsh couple set to break Guinness World Record in brutal rugby challenge
The Welsh couple will be pushed to the brink this week
James Burge-Davies (left) and his wife Melanie Burge-Davies (right) with son Ethan and daughter Esme
A Welsh couple are aiming to break a Guinness World Record by taking part in the world's longest ever rugby match this week.
James and Melanie Burge-Davies from Porthcawl will travel to Ireland this week where they will participate in non-stop full-contact games of rugby which will last 36 hours. There will be a men's and a women's game at Mulligar RFC, just outside of Dublin, between June 18-19.
IT manager James and GP Melanie will be raising money for rugby charity Wooden Spoon to help change the lives of disadvantaged children. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
A full 80 minutes of extreme physicality is often viewed as pushing your body to the limit but 36 hours is off the charts.
"The teams are made up of 23 players each so there'll be eight subs," James told WalesOnline.
"It's a full-contact rugby game and all union rules apply. There'll be six referees throughout that period for both of the games.
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"The tactic is to play for four to five hours and then you come off for an hour and a half break before going again.
"There will be water breaks like you do in normal games, but that's spread throughout. During the day we will be having smaller stints and smaller breaks.
"The idea then is during the night you have longer stints on the field which means you get a bit more of a break, so you can have a power nap for an hour.
"How do you prepare for a 36-hour rugby game? We found out in January we were going to be doing this so we've tried to lose weight and eat healthier. We've been doing a lot of cycle rides and gym work.
"We've also joined a local touch rugby team of which Mel is the captain for the women's team."
James, 42, and Melanie, 41, both have rugby in their blood, with the husband and wife having both captained Porthcawl RFC men's and women's team up until recently.
They hope to help raise money and awareness to help disadvantaged children and people who are struggling with their mental health.
"We have both captained Porthcawl seniors in season 23/24 but we stepped back at the end of last season," James told WalesOnline.
"We saw this opportunity come up to raise money and awareness for those three charities. We are also having a good go at the Guinness World Record.
"We are very much a rugby family and coach the minis at Porthcawl. We are currently coaching the U11s.
"Most husbands and wives with kids try to get away for a romantic evening or a special weekend but we've decided to go away to play rugby for 36 hours.
"Myself and my wife have always been part of a charity called Wooden Spoon.
"They tend to support disabled and disadvantaged children around the UK.
"They've teamed up with Looseheads which is another sporting charity supporting mental health and also the British & Irish Lions trust which supports former Lions.
"They've teamed up with the other charities to form an event prior to the Lions game next Friday against Argentina.
The current world record for a men's game of rugby is 30 hours, 29 minutes and 41 seconds while the women's is 24 hours, five minutes and 15 seconds. Join our WalesOnline rugby WhatsApp community here.
But both James and Melanie are confident of setting a new record this week.
"The event itself is looking to raise over £100,000 and we are already at 84% (£84k) of that," said James. "Myself and Melanie have targeted raising £3,000 and we've pretty much made that now.
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"We've raised that money from begging family and friends. We've done leaflet drops around the local area but a vast amount has come from corporate sponsorship.
"It's going to be tough but we are confident we can do it."
You can donate to James and Melanie's cause by visiting their JustGiving page here.
