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'Nothing short of an absolute disgrace' - Sinfield snubbing blasted
The apparent decision not to include new England rugby defence coach Kevin Sinfield in the New Year’s honours list has been put on blast on social media.
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Sinfield was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to rugby league and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to rugby league football and charitable fundraising.
However, the decision not to fully Knight Sinfield has ruffled feathers, not least given his ongoing charity work in relation to Motor Neuron Disease (MND).
The 42-year-old has raised over £7m for charity and championed research in support of ex-Leeds teammate Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with MND, his fundraising also honours former rugby union player Doddie Weir and former footballer Stephen Darby, both of whom were diagnosed with the life-limiting disease.
Many expressed their upset that the new England rugby union defence coach had not been made a ‘Sir’.
One account posted: “Sorry but not having Kevin Sinfield in the New Years honours list is nothing short of an absolute disgrace. Can only hope it’s an error quickly rectified.”
Sorry but not having Kevin Sinfield in the New Years honours list is nothing short of an absolute disgrace. Can only hope it’s an error quickly rectified.
— Dave Davis (@DaveD0106) December 30, 2022
Reporter Daniel Moxon wrote: “Despite his heroic fundraising efforts for MND research in support of his great mate Rob Burrow, Kevin Sinfield has been overlooked for a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours list. A pretty glaring omission, in my book.”
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Despite his heroic fundraising efforts for MND research in support of his great mate Rob Burrow, Kevin Sinfield has been overlooked for a knighthood in the New Year's Honours list. A pretty glaring omission, in my book. https://t.co/9u0XzPvbmt
— Daniel Moxon (@dmoxon_) December 30, 2022
“Could anyone tell me how on earth Kevin Sinfield has been overlooked AGAIN in the New Year’s Honours List? It makes a completely mockery of the entire system when someone so deserving of the highest recognition is ignored,” wrote another.
Could anyone tell me how on earth Kevin Sinfield has been overlooked AGAIN in the New Year's Honours List? It makes a completely mockery of the entire system when someone so deserving of the highest recognition is ignored.
— Richard Farquhar (@RCFarquhar) December 30, 2022
Former Wales player Lee Jarvis wrote: “It should be SIR Kevin Sinfield after the new year, BUT nothing at all. He should be giving out the medals. Shocking… Honouring the best? My ass.”
It should be SIR Kevin Sinfield after the new year, BUT nothing at all.
He should be giving out the medals 🎖
Shocking…
Honouring the best ? My ass.
— 𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐉𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐬 (@LeeJarvis10) December 31, 2022
Another rugby league account wrote: “I have to say that the honours list this year is absolutely appalling. Firstly, all the Lionesses team should of got a MBE, the England RL Wheelchair team should of been recognised and Kevin Sinfield should of been a Sir.”
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I have to say that the honours list this year is absolutely appalling. Firstly, all the Lionesses team should of got a MBE, the England RL Wheelchair team should of been recognised and Kevin Sinfield should of been a Sir.
— Rhinos Faithful 💙💛 (@RhinosFaithful) December 30, 2022
Another frustrated Tweeter wrote: “That Kevin Sinfield has not been given a knighthood in the #NewYearsHonours is disgraceful. He deserved one for his achievements on the field alone, but what he has done over the last three years for his friend Rob Burrow and the entire MND community is nothing short of amazing.”
That Kevin Sinfield has not been given a knighthood in the #NewYearsHonours is disgraceful. He deserved one for his achievements on the field alone, but what he has done over the last three years for his friend Rob Burrow and the entire MND community is nothing short of amazing.
— Dan Herman (@DanielJHerman) December 31, 2022
Some have suggested that Sinfield’s recently awarded MBE in 2021 meant that he would not be considered for a Knighthood – not yet at least – as a result, with a mandatory three-year hiatus between honours being the norm.
Sinfield started playing rugby league at Waterhead ARLFC. He was a player, captain and director of rugby for Leeds Rhinos where he led the team to seven Super League championships and two Challenge Cup successes. He was a loose forward as well as a stand-off.
He played 26 rugby league tests for England which he captained and 14 tests for Great Britain. He holds the record for the highest points-scorer in Super League history and earned many individual accolades including the Lance Todd Trophy (2005), Harry Sunderland Trophy (2009, 2012) and the Golden Boot (2012).
Sinfield has been defence coach alongside new England head coach Steve Borthwick in their record-breaking run at Leicester Tigers. He now joins Borthwick in the English national side as they plot a Guinness Six Nations triumph in 2023.
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments