Ollie Phillips speaks to reporter Gareth Davies about his world record game at -50C

ONE OF the county’s most famous rugby sons took an 80C plunge in temperature to play the first ever game at the North Pole.

More accustomed to the sunnier climates of Dubai during his stint as England 7s captain, Ollie Phillips and a crack team of fundraisers trekked to the top of the earth where the thermometer plummeted to -50C.

The group had to negotiate 100 miles worth of rugged, frozen terrain lugging 60kg worth of equipment as they endured 20 miles a day. After reaching their destination, the hardy squads erected posts, set out a pitch and set about making history with the first game of rugby on the ice.

As required by Guinness World Records, posts were erected and the perimeter of the pitch was measured and marked all to World Rugby regulations.

Phillips, who was educated at Brighton College before going on to a stellar rugby career, ended up on the losing side as his side slid to a 17-14 loss to a group captained by British Lion Tim Stimpson.

The TeamOllie captain Phillips said: “I can’t quite believe that we’ve done it, it’s an amazing feeling. The Arctic is an incredible yet dangerous place and we needed to be on the top of our game to make sure we didn’t make any mistakes during the trek.

“One lapse in concentration could have been catastrophic.”

His opposite number Stimpson, who is used to the chilly conditions having played the bulk of his rugby in the North for Newcastle and Leeds, said: “We’re pleased with the win.

“Having played a lot of rugby up in Newcastle I’ve played in some chilly conditions but this was another level altogether.”

Both skippers were flanked by a group of committed volunteers including Piltdown father-of-three James Harding.

Following 18 months of gruelling preparation, he dealt with the constant threat of polar bear attacks and blizzards to be in with a chance of breaking the record. He was backed in the trek by his colleagues at Quilter Cheviot Investment Management and has already smashed his fundraising target of £50,000 by raising £54,950. The money is going to rugby’s chosen charity Wooden Spoon, a charity which raises funds to support disabled and disadvantaged children across the UK and Ireland.

Barry Monahan, chief operating officer at Wooden Spoon, said: “It’s a phenomenal achievement to make it the North Pole but to then play a game of rugby is an extraordinary feat.

“The conditions were very challenging and the group showed great determination and team spirit throughout. We are delighted.”

The teams were made up of committed Wooden Spoon members from across the UK and Ireland including David Mercer, CEO of LMAX Exchange, the charity’s lead sponsor.

He said: “I feel very privileged to have been part of such a great group of people completing the challenge and expecting to set a Guinness World Record to boot.

“It was a once in a lifetime experience, made all the sweeter by creating greater awareness of such a fantastic charity and raising a substantial sum of money.

“I join Wooden Spoon in thanking all supporters and personally would like to thank the LMAX team and partners for all their efforts in the lead up to and during the challenge.”

Away from the frostbite and blisters, Phillips has teamed up with language specialist Cactus Worldwide to promote languages and sports to youngsters across the globe.

Already a fluent French speaker, thanks to his two seasons playing with French rugby team Stade Français, he now has his sights set on learning Spanish in order to put his career as a professional sportsman to good use.

By learning Spanish with Cactus, through a combination of evening classes and language courses abroad, Phillips’ dream is to coach rugby to children in South America to help them progress in the sport they love.

Working with some of the continent’s poorest and underprivileged, yet sports-mad children, his efforts will help kids from low income families to learn the basics of rugby whilst forming valuable friendships and learning about team play – an opportunity that many can only dream of.

He said: “We cannot underestimate the importance of languages to promote worldwide relations and communication.

“If my experience and enthusiasm can inspire some of Britain’s youngsters to learn a second language, it will open the door to any number of careers and other opportunities. In the meantime, I can’t wait to get started with Spanish and make a difference to kids all over the world.”