1. Romanian captain, Cristian Petre, who after suffering a 67-3 loss to England,  was asked by a reporter about the game and replied “I play rugby for happiness.”  More.
2. The French rugby team won the toss to choose who wears their own home jerseys in the Rugby World Cup Final and declined to wear their treasured ‘bleu’. Instead they felt it was right for Kiwis, as RWC hosts, should  wear their own colours.   More
3. Young Kerry Gaelic football Tomás Ó’Sé after the final whistle carried the ball as a souvenir to the Dublin goal keeper who kicked the winning point in 2011 All Ireland Gaelic Final. Caught on camera! More.
4. Former Somali refugee, Mohamed Farah, won gold for Britain in the 5,000 metres World Athletic Championships – making his new nation very proud while arch rival, Kenyan, Paul Lagat (representing USA) was the first to embrace him and congratulate him. More.
5. Indian captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni showed honour when he allowed England’s batsman to be reinstated after being ‘run out’ because of a misunderstanding that the game had stopped for tea. More.
6. Vancouver’s Langley Elementary School children displayed true sportsmanship after Ice Hockey riots when they wrote to Boston school children to congratulate the winners, Boston. More.
7. Ex American basket ball pro, ex junkie and now coach, Chris Herren, is a true sportsman as he coaches children and encourages them to always have fun & enjoy their games. More.
8. The Indian & Pakistan cricket fans – arch enemies became friends for life as they shared the excitement & enjoyment of fierce competition as over one billion people watched the match on television.  One man offered to sell his liver … More.
9. 19 year old Japanese golfer, Ryo Ishikawa, donated all this year’s earnings to victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  More.
10. Irish rugby coach, Declan Kidney when asked about the illegal Welsh try that won the game said, that ‘while he felt extremely frustrated, he was not going to make an issue of it at a time when so many in the world were suffering. More.

I will tweet later our all time favourite single moment for 2011. Happy New Year  To One and All.  Say ‘Yes’ to Great Sportsmanship in 2012.

Arsenal compete at the highest level every year and fans get to see the best teams in Europe competing in their new HQ every year.

Despite competing clubs’ billionaire bosses throwing money into their toys (English clubs), Arsenal refuse to buy their way to success (cost control), have the lowest wages to revenue ratio in the premiership, nurture youthful employees (players), developed a stunning new HQ (stadium) and last year enjoyed the highest revenues in UK (albeit boosted by property sales). Arsenal have a stable platform for long term survival perhaps another 125 years if they don’t get sucked into ‘buying short term success’.

And the club has some soul. The single over-riding personality trait that the French footballing philosopher, Arsene Wenger, looks for in a new player is humility (assuming the player has the basic footballing skills). One of its young talents has another personality trait, compassion, which caused a social media stir this week….

Football star caught betting on his team’s results – on twitter Arsenal’s teenage sensation, Jack Wilshere, made a bet with North London rival Tottenham fans (who follow him on twitter) by betting £3,000 that Arsenal will end up higher than Spurs in the league table. If not he’ll pay £3k to Jack Marshall Fund for children. If Arsenal do finish higher than Spurs he’s asking all his Spurs followers on Twitter to pay a £1 towards the fund. Either way, charity is the winner. Now there’s innovative use of twitter from a conscientious, & highly talented, teenage footballer.

Another engaging use of social media is the club’s invitation to its fans to create banners online for display in the stadium. They move with the times.

Finally, Wenger & co displayed great sportsmanship in 1999 when two of their new overseas players were unaware of the great sportsmanship tradition – after kicking a ball out when a player is seriously injured, the ball is thrown back into play and given back to the opposition. The new Arsenal players unwittingly played the ball and scored a goal to win the game. Wenger & co knew this was wrong and insisted, after beating Sheffield United, and despite the FA Rules, on a replay. Full story in the eBook and book.

As a rival London club (with 129 years history) – a QPR fan, I have to applaud Arsenal’s approach, their football and their manager, Arsene Wenger.

In an economic era when survival is success, congratulations to the Arsenal, on not just surviving, but continually playing some great football on the highest altars and having some soul.  Here’s wishing them the best for the next 125 years.

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Photo: Dáire Brennan / SPORTSFILE – click to get prints of this photo

The score was level at 1-11 each (i.e. 14 points each with 1 goal worth 3 points + 11 points across the bar). With just seconds left on the clock, Dublin won a free kick 45 yards out. The Dublin goal keeper Stephen Cluxton, jogged and marched towards what would be the biggest free kick of his life. The referee urged him to speed it up. Time was ticking away. He kicked it over the bar and clean through the posts. Croke Park erupted. Then the final whistle blew and after a 16 year wait Dublin had finally won the Sam Maguire Cup.

As the Dubs fell into rapturous celebrations a young Kerry player, Tomás Ó’Sé, fetched the ball, carried it up the pitch and presented it to the Dublin keeper. What a great gesture of true sportsmanship. What a great player Tomás Ó’Sé is. Congrats to the Dubs, my home town – am delighted but we also acknowledge the dignity and greatness of Kerry’s Tomás Ó’Sé   – he too has found greatness.

It was in 2006, on the 9^th hole in the Carlton Golf Club in Kildare, when Darren Clarke found his ball deep in thick rough grass. Effectively, this would cost him one shot as all he could do was to hack out of the rough sideways and onto the fairway a few yards away instead of shooting straight at the green. He was winning by two shots with 10 holes to play. Suddenly the hooter sounded which meant all players had to leave the course and suspend their matches be­cause of bad weather.

When he returned the next day, he discovered that his ball magically now had an almost perfect lie as it sat on top of the somehow flattened thick grass. It was suggested that the leprechauns had been at work overnight – he could now shoot directly at the green and save himself a shot. So he asked for a ruling and Clarke was informed that he could play the ball in its improved position and he should thank the ‘little people’!

Clarke felt bad as he knew that either the crowds of people had miraculously trodden the grass all around the ball or, indeed, the ‘little people’ had been at work. He chose not to take advantage and shoot for the green directly, but instead he played a short chip shot sideways onto the fairway – the same shot he would have had to play if he was still stuck in thick grass (effectively costing him an extra shot and narrowing his lead to just one shot).

Clarke later explained in a BBC interview: “When I went back out the area around the ball had been flattened. It was a much better lie than when I left it. I could have put it on to the front of the green from where it was, but my conscience would not allow me to do it so I just decided the best thing to do was chip out like I would have done the previous night. Hon­esty is part and parcel of the game and I could not have acted any other way.”

A magnificent, noble gesture from a true sportsman.

Nice guys do come first.

Congratulations Darren Clarke.

Notes: (1) This story is taken from the collection of short stories about sportsmanship: ‘Great Moments Of Sportsmanship – & extraordinary sports people ’ (2) You might like to read another stunning golf story about an Englishman in the USA called ‘Nice Guy Beats The Ref & the TV & Wins Forever  (3) Sign up for email alerts when a new story is posted onto this blog – just add your email address in the box in the right hand side column.

That puts sport into perspective. However, let me share what it feels like to step into cauldron of rugby, The Millenium Stadium, Cardiff….

Arguably the most magnificent rugby venue in the world.

The Welsh singing is unique. Powerful yet perfectly harmonious. Inspirational – if you are a Welsh player. Intimidating or awesome if you are the opposition. In this case, Ireland, and lo both sets of fans are singing the Irish song, ‘The Fields Of Anthenry’. Ah, the Millennium Stadium and the Welsh fans. What a buzz. Moments before the National Anthems………moments before kick-off.

And then ‘Bread Of Heaven’ happens…………………………………….

As kick-off approaches, the crowd moves on and sings the hymn, Cwm Rhondda, the Rhondda Valley, which refers to ‘Bread Of Heaven’.

This singing lifts the spirits of every Welsh rugby player. It gets better though because that is not the Anthem. ‘Land Of My Fathers’ is.  The Welsh National Anthem is inspirational, particularly when sung in harmony by 74,500 passionate fans in Cardiff’s magnificent stadium. It is simply unique to sit here and hear this beautiful powerful sound. Just listen to this…………………………………………….

What it’s like to be in the Irish team listening to this seconds before kick-off?

Time is up. The clock has stopped. The game will be over the next time the ball goes out of play. So Ireland keep it alive and advance on the Welsh line. One score separates the sides. The Siege of Cardiff unfolds…..…….with a unique view from the ring side seats…..this happens…………………………………………………………

—The End—

Although Munster, a province of Ireland, beat them way back in 1978, Ireland never managed to beat the Kiwis in over 100 years of trying (we did get a draw once).

So I sauntered off to Lansdowne Road, the oldest international rugby venue in the world, and stepped inside our shiny new Aviva Stadium, in the hope of maybe, just maybe, the dream might come true. Well here it is….my hazy dream captured on video…………………………..

All comments are welcome.

That 1978 Kiwi win over the Welsh was a pyrrhic victory – no real joy in that win. Diving out of a line-out attempting to get a penalty which won the game is as bad as Ronaldo’s diving antics when he was with Manchester United. Surely rugby should never degrade itself like this?

Spear tackling is far worse as it can break a player’s neck. And when two players do it on one player, off the ball, in the first minute of the first test match (2005 New Zealand), to the opposition’s star player (and captain), it is, plainly, a cowardly act . Would you want your children to do this? A friend told me that soon after the O’Driscoll spear tackle he heard a kid shout during a rugby match ‘get him, spear him’. Shouldn’t New Zealand RFU explicitly state that spear tackling is totally unacceptable. shouldn’t they suspend players who do it. Why didn’t the IRB do something?

Also shouldn’t referees issue more yellow and red cards for such life-threatening cheating? Do the Kiwis get the ‘rub of the green’ from refs (just like the major premiere League football teams seem to get the rub of the green on marginal decisions)?

Having said that I’ve played with Kiwis who were fantastic, hard, skilful, fast, real team players – a joy to play with. They never did any spear tackling or diving. They were just naturally brilliant players and winners. I’ve discovered that the great Graham Maorie’s All Blacks were fantastic sportsmen after the 1978 Munster defeat – in several ways (see Maori prayer for Dona Caniffe’s Dad; and at the after match dinner marching in on their knees singing ‘hi-ho’.

The Kiwis don’t need to cheat because they are absolute fantastic rugby players. I think, over time, they are the best in the world. Perhaps it’s that absolute desperateness to win that stops them winning big World Cup games. Too much desperation to win? Who knows? We admire the mighty All Blacks’ rugby and hope they will play true and proud rugby on Saturday on this, their first visit, to the Mecca of rugby – the world’s oldest international rugby venue with the world’s newest international stadium (see 60 second video tour).

And yes their truly brilliant captain, McCaw, lives on the edge – but so did Ireland’s brilliant Nigel Carr and Fergus Slattery and many wing forwards before and after him. I don’t feel they bring the game into disrepute like Haden, the diver, or the spear tackling twins. There is a huge difference between McCaw and Carr’s approach versus the divers and spear tacklers. Perhaps someone could help me to articulate the difference between the two?

Note: Tagu Umali did stop in the middle of match against Wales and arguably save Welsh player Colin Charvis‘s life a she lay unconscious.

Note: Mealamu cited for head butting England’s Lewsey last week – deemed not guilty.

One wonders what historic moments in rugby and football (soccer) will emerge over the next 50 years (although difficult to imagine, if you’re over 50!). What magical moments of wizardry and wonderful moments of sportsmanship will emerge?

Leinster v Ulster was the first (16 Dec 1876) and last (31 Dec 2006) game of rugby played at the old Lansdowne Road stadium. The first international match was played way back in Victorian times in 1878 (when Ireland was under British rule). When the Republic of Ireland was eventually established, both the Republic and the North Of Ireland still united, every year, to wear the green shirt and take on the world’s best rugby teams. Football does not do this, except once, in 1973 a United Ireland team* took on the World champions, Brazil. The venue? Lansdowne Road. For 128 years Lansdowne Road was an international venue, much loved by anyone who visited. It then closed its doors for a moment (three and a half years in the greater scheme of things) and moved its rugby and football events to the hidden jewel in Ireland’s crown, the 82,500 Croke Park, HQ of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association)*.

What historic events and wonderful sportsmanship moments will emerge in this, the newest stadium in the oldest venue? Perhaps it is the oldest international sports venue in the world – can someone enlighten me?

* See the full stories of the 1973 moment when Ireland united in football in Lansdowne Road and also the 2007 moment when ‘God saved Croke Park’ in the Great Moments Of Sportsmanship collection of published short stories.

Whilst most of our Welsh friends the week before forecasted Ireland to win by 10 points. You have to admire the fire that burns deep in  the Scottish bellies.

The wonderful Scottish character in the middle of the montage, when asked for his feelings about the game, before the game, during a video interview, proudly announced his mobile number on camera and asked ‘Dublin Girls to call him without delay.’

As the last game of international rugby in Croke Park (The Hidden Jewel In Ireland’s Crown) drew to a close a couple of kilted Scottish fans told me what a privilege it was to visit Croke Park as it was a ‘sacred venue’  – a rare and never to happen again event , unless they came back to watch some Gaelic Games – Ireland’s national sport.

A touching moment of sportsmanship was shared with me by one of Ireland’s great out-halves, Ollie Campbell.  He told me that after the game, the Irish,  fly-half who struggled with his kicking and who was subsequently  substituted, Johnny Sexton, went into the Scottish dressing room  and gave his precious Irish shirt (he has only a handful of caps) to his opposite number, Dan Parks. When Parks offered his Scottish shirt in return, Sexton thanked him but refused as he felt that since Parks had won the  ‘Man Of The Match’ award  it was therefore a special game for him and he should keep his shirt in memory of  his outstanding performance.  This was from a young man who had just lost the chance of achieving one of his dreams – winning  his first Triple Crown.  Our dream was over but, like Johnny Sexton, we’ll rise again.

Henry’s former Arsenal team mate, Lee Dixon, believes Henry has ruined his reputation “He has been a truly great footballer – one of the best players we’ve ever seen in the Premier League – but now people will remember him for that goal against Ireland. It’s really sad.”

Come on France all you’ve got to do is ask for a replay.

Sign this petition & send it to all your contacts in Ireland & abroad – The Irish have so many friends all over the world. If they get 10+million signatures, they will have to seriously rethink it. Don’t let this go. www.gopetition.com/online/32214/sign.html#se

Or let FIFA know directly,  www.fifa.com/contact/form.html .

Meanwhile watch out for a lobby campaign for the sponsors.  Kids all over the world have seen cheats win again. FIFA has an opportunity to let kids see that cheating does not prevail and that, courtesy of technology, this is the begininng of the end, of the era where cheats always win. With a nudge from sponsors, FIFA may still take this historic opportunity to get it right.  Watch out for my next post which shows how the Germans have come up with a brilliant solution to reduce cheating.