A remarkable rugby challenge a year in the making came to an emotional crescendo as LooseHeadz, Wooden Spoon and the Lions Trust combined to break two world records.

Two of the official charity partners of The British & Irish Lions joined forces for The Longest Game, a rugby marathon which took place at Mullingar Rugby Club in Dublin ahead of the Lions clash with Argentina at Aviva Stadium.

A women’s match lasting 26 hours and 33 minutes ran in conjunction with a men’s match which went on for 34 hours and 48 minutes, both of which will enter the record books subject to Guinness clarification – while over £100,000 has been raised in the process.

Matt Bishop, one of Wooden Spoon’s UK and Ireland national managers, was among those who played, digging deep in hugely contrasting conditions.

“It was the hottest day they have had for some time,” he said. “It was a real physical challenge and in some ways, it was a bigger mental challenge than I expected.

“When you have played three or four hours, you think ‘I’m feeling it’, then you look at a clock and realise you have 31 hours to go.

“When it got to 11 at night, the temperature completely changed and it was cold. There was no music, no atmosphere, that period until five or six in the morning was really tough for everyone.

“Adrenaline kicked in with about five hours to go and you start counting them down. At that stage, I felt like I could burst through or break a tackle, even though it was ridiculously hot.

“It was a collective effort and a real rollercoaster. Our team manager, Tom Hughes, didn’t leave the sideline for the 36 hours. And at one stage, I looked over at my colleague from Wooden Spoon sat on a chair doing social media graphics at 2am.

“It was quiet, we were struggling and people were still working away to get the message out there. The team effort across both charities was something I’ve never really been part of in an event like that.”

In all, 92 players took part across mixed teams named Wooden Headz and Loose Spoons.

Volunteers and support staff took the total number involved to around 160, all of whom were paraded on the pitch at half-time during Friday night’s 1888 Cup clash against Los Pumas.

“That was a dream come true, the crowd were very welcoming, clapping and cheering," Bishop said.

"It was the icing on the cake of an emotional three days in Dublin.

“I didn’t know anyone from LooseHeadz or their volunteers but I was stood side by side with people I genuinely feel like I’ll be friends with for a long time.”

The match had to be played under World Rugby laws, with full contact in operation throughout, with Mullingar praised as perfect hosts.

Matt Mitchell, a Longest Game organiser and, like Bishop, a UK and Ireland national manager at Wooden Spoon, said: “The team from Mullingar were truly incredible, we were really lucky.

“The Lions put us in touch with the club, they didn’t have much notice, in all fairness, and they turned it around.

“Paul Murphy was our main go-to man and he just organised everything. No ask was too much.”

LooseHeadz co-founder Rob Shotton added: “The whole community of Mullingar came down with two or three hours to go.

“Throughout the challenge, we’d go and get energy drinks and sweets in the shop and people were saying ‘are you part of this thing down the road?’. The whole community got behind it.”

Tommy Bowe, Ieuan Evans and Gavin Hastings were among the Lions legends on the sidelines lending their support, with Hastings hailed for a Jim Telfer-esque rallying cry with four hours remaining which helped see the tiring players home.

A post-match haka led by a local New Zealander was also earmarked as a particularly poignant moment, one of many for Shotton as he reflected on their journey since forming in 2017.

“There was a lot of emotion, a lot of tears, particularly at the final whistle when the joy, elation and relief came out,” he said.

“Afterwards, it was really special to sit in the clubhouse with a Guinness and hear some of the stories from the players in terms of why they got involved in the first place across both charities.

“From a LooseHeadz perspective, we have had a couple of messages since then saying we have saved their lives.

“If we go back eight years ago to when we started this following a conversation at the end of a rugby club bar, that’s why we started it and that is what we have done. You can’t really beat that.

“To see where we’ve come in eight years is pretty special and we won’t stop here. Those messages give us the motivation and enthusiasm to do more of it.”

Both charities will be running community events across the Tour itself to spread their respective messages and leave a lasting off-field impact.

And they will do so while still basking in the glow of an event which will not be forgotten by anyone involved in it.

“Rugby teaches us many things,” Mitchell said. “Above all, resilience and facing whatever life throws at us head on with courage, confidence and grit. Everyone who took part showed that in spades.

“They had support from family and friends, the volunteers who helped lift them, but ultimately they did it. They pushed through the pain barriers and went beyond anything most people will attempt.

“That is the spirit of rugby and they redefined it, set world records and became legends for doing so.”

Donate to The Longest Game fundraising page by clicking here.