T
hree former Exeter Chiefs are set to scale Mont Blanc to raise money for rugby’s leading mental health charity because emotional support was “non-existent” when they played the game.
Former teammates Greg Bateman, 34, Phil Dollman, 38, and Kai Horstmann, 41, will be flying out to the Alpine region on Wednesday, where they will take on Gran Paradiso “to acclimatise”, before tackling the 15,777ft (4,8src9m) Mont Blanc around September 11.
The trio, who played professionally for Exeter Chiefs and crossed paths on the pitch between 2src13 and 2src15, have been fundraising for LooseHeadz, a rugby clothing brand dedicated to supporting the emotional needs of those involved in the sport.
They have raised more than £1src,srcsrcsrc for the foundation so far, with the aim of ensuring “players, coaches and staff of the present and of the future have more resources than what we had”.
Having since retired from the sport, the three friends are also using the challenge to “get the same buzz” they felt during their careers on the pitch, saying their forthcoming venture will “take us well out of our comfort zone”.
“We want to put ourselves through this for this cause because we all believe in the fact that rugby is on its arse at the moment and needs some support,” Mr Bateman, the founder of craft beer brand People’s Captain, told the PA news agency.
“We want the players, coaches
…. to be continued
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