VIDEO GALLERY

LAURA BUTLER 25 OCTOBER 2013

HELPING to set a new Guinness World Record and raise money for charity, 940 school students lined out to perform the biggest rugby scrum ever.
Primary and secondary-level students from Willow Park and Blackrock College, Dublin, took to the pitch yesterday to crouch, touch and successfully set a new record.
They also raised 3,000 for the Irish Youth Foundation's Children's Hour. This is the college's second world record this year, having broken the record for the largest shamrock in aid of GOAL last March. Yesterday's on-field attempt was overseen by internationally recognised referee Alain Rolland, with the support of pundit George Hook and Leinster rugby players Ian Madigan, Luke Fitzgerald, Jordi Murphy and Eoin Reddan.

Blackrock is the alma mater of many of Ireland's rugby greats, including Brian O'Driscoll.

Scrum-half Redden is a patron of the charity and told the Irish Independent that each of his Heineken Cup-winning team-mates will donate an hour's wage to the cause, which provides services for disadvantaged children, on November 20.

"I've been involved in the foundation for two years and it's so important because it plays a huge part in kids' lives, especially in trying to help disadvantaged children into secondary, but also in managing the transition from primary to secondary.

"The amount of work they do behind the scenes all the time is amazing," Reddan said. "Blackrock is always great to get involved in things like this and even since I've been a pupil here, they've been doing more and more," 22-year-old Murphy added.

"Giving back is a vital part of the community and also of the Leinster squad."

For more information on Children's Hour and how to donate, please visit: www.childrenshour.ie.

Irish Independent