Ex-rugby stars turned motor neuron disease campaigners Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield have both been honoured at this year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony.
The former Leeds Rhinos teammates have both gone on to become truly inspiring individuals in their own right but remarkable fundraising figures too, generating millions for the Motor Neuron Disease Association (MNDA) and other charities in the last few years.
Raising huge awareness around the condition in the UK, the pair's impact could not be overstated, with local hero Burrow earning the Helen Rollason Award "for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity" and Sinfield also handed a special award for his own extraordinary efforts this year.
Having already been awarded an MBE not only for his services to sport but for MND charities and now this, Burrow told the audience: "I'm totally overcome with this award due to the amount of amazing people that have won this before, in particular my MND hero Doddie Weir."
Weir - a fellow rugby and fundraising hero in Scotland - sadly passed away in November this year, with legends of the sport turning out for his tartan memorial service earlier this week.
Speaking via the same computer that allowed him to read his own CBeebies Bedtime Story in his own accent earlier this year, Burrow said that he didn't feel he would be here without having met Weir less than a week before his diagnosis in 2017, insisting that he was accepting on the award "on his behalf".
He also recognised his friend Kevin, "who makes the impossible, possible", and his family and wife Lindsay for putting their lives on hold to care for him, stating that he would not be here "without [their] sacrifice". He also thanked his fellow MND warriors, assuring them, "we will not stop, we'll find a cure".
As for Sinfield, he delivered some rather moving words of his own as it was clear there was a lot of emotion on the stage, throughout the room and certainly among those watching back home.
The 42-year-old dubbed his friend and colleague as "the most inspirational bloke in the UK at this time", remarking that his efforts have "shown us all how to be better friends" during difficult times.
He also went on to reflect on the power of sport and its ability "to bring communities together and provide hope" for groups like the MND community, also honouring Doddie Weir by sharing his lasting and crucial message: "MND isn't incurable, it's underfunded".
However, Sinfield's own inspiring and simply incredible feats cannot be overlooked, having completed the 'Ultra 7 in 7' marathon challenge in 2022 on top of numerous other unbelievable achievements in previous years, helping raise over £7 million for MND charities.
The newly-named England defensive coach summed up his speech by reassuring that "we are going to keep fighting; these people need us, the families need us", adding that he and his team, not to mention everyone else involved in MND will "keep banging the drum and doing our best".
Truly powerful stuff and more than well deserved, both of them.
If you want to help Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield and make an impact in fighting this disease, you can donate to the MNDA here.
Featured Image — BBC Sport (via Twitter)
Sport
Daniel Farke urges restraint after ‘the best kind of win’ as Leeds United boost promotion chances
Daniel Farke is urging fans to not get ahead of themselves following last night's massive win over Sunderland as Leeds gave their prospects of a Premier League return a massive leg up.
Returning to the top of the table after a last-gap 2-1 victory over the North East side, Leeds United now lead the league on 72 points as promotion back to the top flight is looking increasingly likely.
But we all know how football goes, especially in the Championship...
With that in mind, although Farke confessed it was "a great night for everyone connected to Leeds United", he was quick to remind his players, staff and supporters that there's still a lot of work to do.
"I never thought I would ever get a yellow card for celebrating"
Daniel Farke shares his thoughts on getting booked for celebrating Leeds' 95th minute equaliser ? pic.twitter.com/tfLxXjE6AK
Speaking after the full-time whistle and when everyone had just about caught their breath back, the 48-year-old said: "These types of wins are the best kind you can have in football for the supporters and the whole group."
Despite being booked for joining in the celebrations and seeming rather puzzled by the decision, the German head coach went on to describe the victory as "priceless points", and "a great night for everyone connected to Leeds United."
However, being fully aware of how fine the margins were and continue to be, he warned everyone to avoid getting carried away, adding: "We haven't won anything yet."
In case you weren't watching for whatever reason, it was a tense home outing against fellow playoff challengers, who took the lead through Wilson Isidor in the first half.
Nevertheless, a brilliant brace came from a somewhat unlikely yet increasingly less surprising source as Pascal Struijk notched his fourth and fifth goal of the season within just over a quarter of an hour - the fans just had to wait agonisingly until the very last quarter or so.
"This is the best Leeds side I've seen in the Championship, the substitutions changed the course of the game" ?
Andy Hinchcliffe praises Leeds and Daniel Farke after their late win over Sunderland ⚪ pic.twitter.com/9NgHcNcje0
Struijk's stoppage-time winner in the 95th minute understandably sent Elland Road into raptures which, as you can see, have been described as some of the best the league has seen in a while.
As Farke says, there's still a long way to go and Leeds won't want to rely on the bare minimum amount to qualify for the playoffs; with 42 points still up for grabs this campaign and teams on their tail, the next few months are going to be stressful.
You can hear Daniel Farke's post-match interview in full HERE and watch the rest of the highlights from a blockbuster finish and a fantastic start to the week for Whites down below:
Featured Images — Sky Sports/Leeds United (screenshots via YouTube)
Sport
Northern Superchargers fixtures confirmed for The Hundred 2025
Danny Jones
The fixtures for The Hundred 2025 have officially been revealed and we now have confirmation as to when we can expect to see Northern Superchargersgetting underway.
One of the fastest-growing competitions not only in cricket but sport, in general, this is just the fifth year of The Hundred but it’s promising to be the biggest and most ambitious yet.
Moving back to its traditional summer slot – set to take place throughout the month of August – well over half a million fans are expected to enjoy the action up and down the country.
You can find the full list of Northern Superchargers fixtures for this year’s Hundred schedule here:
Getting their campaign underway with the first double-header against Welsh Fire on Thursday, 7 August at home in Headingley, it's going to be a brilliant day of cricket - hopefully with plenty of sun to boot.
The Superchargers' first away game comes against Nottingham's Trent Rockets on Sunday (10 August) before heading down South the following Wednesday (13 Aug).
2024 alone saw a global women’s cricket attendance record shattered and with the double-header fixtures set to return, more history beckons for the tournament.
If you’ve never been along to The Hundred before, game days feature plenty of pre-match pageantry and fanfare before the women’s teams get the toss first.
Although there’s music, food and drink to be enjoyed throughout the day, one of the best parts about a day at The Hundred is the entertainment, with other games, activities, competitions and live performances before, during and after the break.
"You get fantastic crowds to play in front of at the biggest venues, with great support. I have absolutely loved being a part of the Superchargers", he continued.
"Captaining last year was a great experience, as was working alongside Freddie [Andrew Flintoff]. We have a great group of players that we will hopefully manage to retain for this year’s competition.
"We'll be looking to build on the momentum we have started to gather as a squad over the last few seasons."
You can get ready grab your tickets on pre-sale and found when general admission goes live HERE.
Danny Jones -
22nd December 2022 
