Munster faithful stand up and fight for Bóthar

OVER 12,000 Munster fans threw down the gauntlet to their Leinster counterparts in some style at the weekend, comfortably smashing the previous world record for most Santa hats worn at one event.

Fans attending Munster’s arm-wrestle with Saracens on Saturday were asked to purchase a Santa hat on the way into Thomond Park and in doing so, support Limerick based international aid agency Bóthar.

For a minimum €2 donation, fans were able to support the charity’s aid work in the developing world, as well as participating in a world record attempt for most Santa hats worn at one event - and did so with aplomb.

As their team dispatched the high-flying Aviva Premiership team, so too the Munster faithful beat the world record with Bóthar reporting sales of 12,732 hats - smashing the previous record of 8,600.

“This is a wonderful achievement and we are hugely grateful to Munster fans for getting behind Bóthar,” said CEO David Moloney after the record was confirmed.

“It will make such a difference and every euro we collected will go to helping some of the most destitute people in the world with livestock aid donations,” he added.

But, while Munster and Leinster may still share the record for the top attendance figure for a Heineken Cup match, Leinster fans will get the opportunity to seize crowing rights for the Santa hats record, with the province likely to hugely increase the figure at Saturday’s match against Clermont in the gigantic Aviva stadium.

While the Munster colours are a more natural fit, Santa’s hat will undergo a colour change this Saturday, with red being replaced by royal blue for the Leinster game and another tilt at increasing the world record figure.

Either way, Bóthar - who lifted 6,000 people worldwide out of destitution last year - are the ultimate winner from the fun initiative, a fact acknowledged by CEO David Moloney.

“We are the only aid agency sending Irish dairy cows and goats across the globe to this day so the rugby fans at these two games are making a big contribution towards the costs involved,” he explained.

For more information on the charity log on to www.bothar.ie.