Melbourne, Australia (AP) — A band of Australian friends at Legsaw have claimed a new world record for Beach Touch Rugby’s longest non-stop game, accumulating around 1,500 points during tough 34 hours of play, players said Friday.
Neither side knows who won. Organizers of TamaTouch Group, who played the game as a charity event on Wednesday and Thursday Sydney Symbolic Bondi Beachdecided to offer a running score for fear of overexking the competitive instincts of tired players, said competitor Harry Preston.
“It’s not who beats who. It’s about collectively breaking the record and doing it for good reason,” Preston said. “It’s a bit more competitive, but it’s all about peers and friendship.”
Guinness Word Records The group has yet to confirm that the record set by the UK’s Sandbuggers Beach Touch Rugby team in August 2022 was broken, but Guinness confirmed in a statement Thursday that the record team is valuing the bid.
The name “Tama” comes from small Tamarama Beach, south of Bondi, and formed a social group in 2001 to play. Often known as Tamatouch, the group’s 22 men began their six games at 6am on Wednesday and declared world record holders on Thursday afternoon.
Beat the clock and support your mental health
The Sandbuggers’ record set on the coast of southern England was 34 hours and 6 seconds. Their match raised a donation to a motor neuron disease charity. Tama Touch claimed a numerically significant record of 34 hours, 9 minutes, 25 seconds. The numbers represent the dates of the two-day matches, September 3rd and 4th, 2025.
Videos of the entire game will be submitted to Guinness. It also logs all scored points. The witness statement also includes evidence of the record.
“Some people wanted to continue,” Preston said. “Our theory is that we didn’t want to break it with a big margin because we wanted others to break it, and we want others to gather money and perception for the cause.
Tama Touch’s match raised more than $167,000 ($109,000) from Australia’s mental health agency Beyond Blue.
Player Andrew Lord said he helped with regular social matches with Tama Touch on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and in his own mental health.
“I have my own experience with mental health and this group has helped me. Now we want to help others find the same support,” the Lord said in a statement.
Play through pain
Preston said the entire group of 22 continued to the end despite suffering from dislocated toes, suspected toe fractures and broken thumbs. The injury occurred later in the game.
There was no limit to how many alternatives you could make, but the game had to always have 12 players and 10 on the bench. One player said the smartwatch ran 70 kilometers (43 miles) during the match.
“There’s a lot of pressure in the ankles, Achilles (tendons) and the calves because the sand is trying a bit more than the hard surface,” Preston said.
In early spring temperatures dropped overnight to 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit). Daytime temperatures rose to a mild maximum of 13 Celsius (55 F) on Wednesday and 16 Celsius (61 F) on Thursday.
In touch rugby, players earn points by placing the ball on something called a try line. Preston said about 1,500 points were scored, but a more accurate tally was maintained. Whether or not the Blue Shirt Breakers and Red Shirt Sandstormers have won the game, it will be announced at dinner next week.
