BROMSGROVE Rugby Club has embarked on a 'global' charity quest and they have been given some pretty powerful backing - in the form of England's head coach.

Eddie Jones - who led England to last year's World Cup final, where they finished runners-up to South Africa - sent the club a special video to support its 'Around the World in 80 Days' challenge.

The club launched their coronavirus lockdown crusade on May 5 with its members challenged to run, cycle, swim or walk a combined total of 25,000 miles, the Earth's circumference.

Money raised will be split between the club and NHS Charities Together - and when the national team's coach heard of the enterprise, he sent the club a message.

"Make sure you work as a team because the more cohesive you work as a team, the quicker you'll get around the world - you don't want to miss anything guys!" the Australian said.

"So have a great endeavour, have fun because that's one of the things we can  do - we can't have fun on the rugby field but we can have fun off the rugby field.

"And part of it is making sure that we support everything we can to beat the virus so all the best guys, get stuck into it!"

Many of the Finstall Park club's 400-plus members - plus a few friends such as England Women international Lark Davies - have heeded those words, surging past the 2,000-mile mark in the first three days.

The efforts of senior players, juniors, parents and committee members have already raised several hundred pounds - to donate, visit www.give.as/brfc

Club captain Bobby Green said: "The response from members within the club to be part of this has been fantastic.

"We hope it captures the public’s imagination and we raise as much money as possible for such a fantastic cause."

The Jules Verne novel 'Around the World in 80 Days', telling the tale of Phileas Fogg's attempts to circumnavigate the world was published in 1872 - the same year Bromsgrove RFC was founded.