The late great, Bill McLaren was simply the world’s best rugby commentator ever. He was known as ‘The Voice Of Rugby’. You’ll see why. Bill believed passionately in sportsmanship. So in celebration of the 6 Nations Rugby Championship which starts this weekend we’ll publish 6o of the best quotes from the master himself, plus a piece by, Bill’s daughter, Linda, who wrote something special for us (see end).

Bill believed in sportsmanship – shaking hands, thanking the ref, respect, fun and, of course, competition. He loved the characters in the game. His unique descriptions and authoritive voice added so much excitement, intrigue and enthral. So here’s part 1 of 4: the first 15 from 60.

Celebrations

“They will be dancing in the street’s tonight.” When a good try was scored

Fisticuffs

"A little bit of argy-bargy there."

"Those props are as cunning as a bag o’ weasels."

"He’s like a raging bull with a bad head."

Tough Guys

"You wouldn`t want to meet him in a dark alleyway!"

"Wade Dooley the big Blackpool policeman standing like a lighthouse at the back of the lineout"

"I look at Colin Meads and see a great big sheep farmer who carried the ball in his hands as though it was an orange pip."

As Scott and Craig waited to join the fray on the touchline: "There’s the Quinnell brothers, two well nourished individuals"

Referring to one of the French front row as "having a face like a carpenters bag o’chisels”

Big Boys

“Big Vleis Visagie – born when meat was cheap!”

On Andre Venter “He’s no oil painting, but look at him working the blind side like a pop-up toaster!”

On Os du Randt “There he goes – South Africa’s rhino!”

On Finlay Calder – “hands like dinner plates!”

"John Jeffrey – the big Kelso farmer – gathers the ball…"

On Scott Gibbs “When he hits you, you think the roof has just fallen in.”

To be continued next week……

Linda McLaren

In the 2 years since Dad died we have become aware of how highly he was respected and loved, not only in rugby circles but also in the wider world community. Two of the main reasons for that were the warm human touch he had with people from all backgrounds as well as the values he held dear throughout his life and career.

He was well known for his honesty, fairness, integrity, self-discipline, loyalty, humour and kindness and these, among many other fine characteristics, are the qualities we aim to promote, especially in youngsters, through the Foundation which has been created in his name. We plan to achieve this by encouraging children to become involved in the game of rugby and in doing so to develop the many vital skills which are so important in everyday life.

I hope Dad would be proud to know that he is still remembered so fondly and that his legacy will continue to make a difference in the future.

The Bill McLaren Foundation

60 Of The Best – Great Quotes from the late great Bill McLaren

Running x 11; Passing x 1; Kicking x 10; Jumping x 4; Celebrations x 1; Fisticuffs x 3 Tough Guys x 5; Big Boys x14; Weather x 2; Absolute Classic McLaren x 5; Looking Back x 2; Encouraging students x 1; Sportsmanship x 1        To be continued next week.

Bill’s Last Interview

The MC then said – said: “Thank you Rafa Nadal – who leaves here a winner.”

The champion, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic then spoke: “Rafa you are one of the best players ever and on tour. We made history tonight. Unfortunately there couldn’t be two winners tonight but I wish you all the best for this season and I hope that we have many more matches like this, many more finals.”
Then both ushered each other to go first when stepping down off the podium.

“Two charming speeches” said the BBC.

“Two truly Great Sportsmanship Ambassadors”  says The Great Sportsmanship Programme.

http://www.greatmomentsofsportsmanship.com/about-2/

It’s 2012 and here comes the London Oympics, but what about Olympism – the reason  the Olympics exist? Olympism was founded by the ancient Greeks. They actively encouraged citizens to develop all of their physical, moral, intellectual, cultural and artistic qualities.

The Olympic Games celebrated this with the Olympic Games festival involving athletes, artists and scholars from different cultural fields. Sport, art, educational and cultural activities were blended.

Modern Olympism
The modern Olympic Movement was started in 1894 by Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin.  He resurrected the ancient Greek ideals and gave them to the rest of the world when he staged the first ‘modern’ Olympic Games  in 1896 in Greece’s  newly reconstructed Panathenean Stadium (originally created in 330BC).

		London 2012 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Olympism blends sport with culture and education, and most importantly, Olympism promotes a peaceful way of life which uses ‘sport to promote the balanced development of people as an essential step in building a peaceful society that places a high value on human dignity’.  In fact the Olympic Movement believes ‘sport is an invaluable means of

• educating people,
• cultivating aesthetic and
• moral values,
• fostering friendships
• among young people, and
• bringing people from different nations closer together.’

[See ‘What is the role of Sport in The Olympics? for more.] This is what sportsmanship is all about – morale values (respect, fair play, honesty) and fostering friendship  whilst competing.

So hopefully, we’ll see some true Olympism (sportsmanship) in London Olympics 2012 just like we did in 1908 (Queen Alexander), 1932 (Judy Guinness, fencing), 1936 (Karl Lutz Long, long jump), 1952 (Zatopek, 5k & 10k runner), 1956 (Takhti, wrestler), 1960 (Rudolph, sprinter), 1968 (Akhwari, marathon), 1976 (Fujimoto, gymnast), 1988 (Lemieux, sailing) 1992 (Derek Redmond, 400m), 1994 (Jensen & Koss, speed skaters), 2004 (Cordeiro de Lima, marathon), 2006 (Hakensmoen, Ski-ing), 2008 (Junquan, swimmer). Full stories in the Great Moments Of Sportsmanship eBook (& printed book). Free Sportsmanship Workbook & Tutor’s Guide available for schools also.

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.

Some footballers think they have a right to dive - they don't

Here’s one club who is doing something about it. Australia’s Sydney FC have taken the lead and fine their players if they dive.

During an A League match against Gold Coast United, Sydney striker, Shannon Cole, took a ‘dishonest tumble’ in the penalty box. In fact there was contact made by the defender against the Sydney striker, but it was minimal and not enough to force him to fall. Sydney FC have a ‘No Diving’ policy and consequently fined Cole an undisclosed amount.

Do you know of any clubs that fine their players for cheating? Please tell us.

[Thanks to our Sportsmanship Ambassador, Francois Dumontel for alerting us to this story.]

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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All Black Snow Angels:  Cory Jane, left, and Israel Dagg enjoy the tickertape after receiving their winners’ medals. Photo RWC

Congrats to New Zealand on a hard fought battle with the magnificent French revolutionaries – what a game. As they say in the song, it’s been a long time coming.

The then reigning world champions South Africa, when beaten by Australia in the quarter finals, exited with great dignity. As the final whistle blew I watched their   world’s best second row, Victor Matfield, smile warmly whilst congratulating the victorious Australians. So too did the Springboks  talisman captain, John Smit. He got up from the bench and promptly walked over to the Australian bench to congratulate them with a  smile, whilst privately sad, knowing that his international rugby career was over.

But the moment of the tournament  came from a real winner in rugby, in sport and in life, the 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".  

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Note: Springbok captain John Smit and vice-captain Victor Matfield retired a few days after the World Rugby Cup (Smit from international rugby and Matfield from all rugby with the quote: “It has been an unbelievable experience being part of building our great nation and bringing people closer to each other.”

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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.

Farah arrived in England when he was just 8 years old and hardly spoke any English. His first love was football and his dream was to play for Arsenal.  His PE teacher offered Farah the incentive of playing indoor football for 30 minutes before taking him to the running club. He worked hard and went on to get  the European track record for 10,000 metres, the British road record for 10,000 metres, the British indoor record in the 3,000 metres, the British track record for 5,000 metres and the European indoor record for 5,000 metres.

In July 2010, Farah was the first British man to win the European 10,000 metres gold medal. He went on to also win gold in the 5,000m, becoming the first British man to win the long distance double.

Then last weekend, he turned silver into gold in the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea after winning silver in the 10,000 metres, he went on to win gold in the 5,000 metres after a dramatic final lap.

Bernard Lagat was born in Kapsabet, Kenya and won medals for Kenya before changing his domicile and representing America. Despite the fierce rivalry between Farah and Lagat (Lagat pushed for gold the whole way), Lagat was the first man over to congratulate Farah. A beautiful moment from two world class sports men who have adopted to foreign countries.

Thanks to Ken Mc Cue (Sport Against Racism Ireland) for alerting me to the story.

Roger Milla’s samba with the corner flag, Peter Crouch’s Robot Dance or Pele leaping into the arms of other players with the biggest grin,  or this goalkeeper’s extraordinary celebration or,  this fan singing and dancing and inspiring a stadium, or perhaps this 19 year old jockey’s unbridled joy as he wins the 2011 Epson Derby* – what’s your favourite celebration?

Some say that the young French jockey’s celebration was dangerous. But surely it was better than ‘Rooney’s Rage’  style celebrations , that we see on TV screens every week as millionaire footballers release  angry tension with roars and aggressive fists (see why do people celebrate with anger?). Where is the joy gone?

Do players forget the fun, excitement and joy of playing in top class competitions? Research into England’s most recent World Cup flop revealed ‘fear of failure’ as the major factor.

Great players do not fear failure. In fact they have, what sports psychologists call, ‘Failure Tolerance’ – they don’t beat themselves up when they make a mistake. They just get on with it as in the case of Martin Palermo who once missed three penalties in one match for Argentina but never gave up and went to score the goal that put them into the last World Cup.

The  former junkie basketball player now coach highlighted last month seems to have it right. He gets kids to enjoy their game first and foremost. Come to think of it, the world’s most successful football/soccer manager, Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson constantly reminds his players to ‘enjoy themselves’.

So come on, let’s get the joyous celebrations back into sport. Share your favourite celebration here by posting a comment. Tell me about your favourite celebration (in any sport).

Thanks to Paul Bowket for alerting me about the unbridled joy of the young French jockey as he comes from nowhere to win the 2011 Derby (*2 mins 30 seconds).