Heart of Wales 7s Special: Jordan & The Flaming Unicorns on Rugby, Community & Mental Health

The Rugby Through the Leagues podcast welcomes Jordan, organiser of Heart of Wales 7s, and Stu from The Flaming Unicorns / Tough Enough To Care, to talk rugby, community and mental health. Jordan charts the tournament's growth from 16 men's teams to an 11-year event drawing around 1,500 people — with the goal of 6,000 — and the entertainment that's grown with it: Flamingo Bingo, boxing, netball, charity matches and the famous naked run (which may hit 250–300 runners). He opens up on how it all came together: contacts, hard-won logistics lessons, a 10-person core crew, COVID refunds, and a relentless focus on retention, safety and experience. Stu shares how The Flaming Unicorns began as a charity match supporting mental health after losing two friends to suicide — and how their distinctive branding creates safe spaces for conversations at rugby clubs, with Heart of Wales giving them a major platform alongside celebrity guests and the growth of women's rugby. ⏱️ Chapters  00:00 Naked Run Cold Open  00:12 Meet the Guests  01:03 Heart of Wales Origins  02:41 Growing Past Covid  04:57 Behind the Scenes Crew  07:19 Entertainment & Traditions  10:38 Flaming Unicorns Join In  12:39 Tough Enough To Care Story  16:00 Why the Partnership Works  18:19 Rugby Stars & Welsh Sevens  22:06 Logistics Lessons & Burnout  26:57 Post-Event Rituals  31:02 Two-Week Build Plan  31:39 Site Setup Week  33:32 Rugby Star Ringers  36:03 Women's Night Magic  39:35 Growing Organically  42:48 Welsh Sevens Series  46:17 Sevens Media Value  49:23 New Format Ideas  52:14 Unicorns Mission  57:36 Final Messages 🏉 Heart of Wales 7s: heartofwales7s.co.uk 💚 This episode discusses mental health and suicide. If you're struggling, you don't have to face it alone — in the UK & Ireland you can call Samaritans free, day or night, on 116 123. Find out more about Tough Enough To Care at toughenoughtocare.help. 🎧 Listen & follow: Spotify · Apple Podcasts · YouTube (youtube.com/@RugbyTTL) · rugbyttl.com