Pádraig Harrington is no longer searching for ‘the secret’ in the autumn of a glorious career, but he remains just a little bitter nobody told him where his ball was at St Andrews this year, writes Brian Keogh.

It would be tempting to say Munster could do with a week or two off to sort out the numerous issues that have them, in CJ Stander’s words, heading towards the waterfall, but that is not an option for the men in red.

Galway manager Kevin Walsh is hopeful a trainer who played a part in the All Blacks winning the World Cup will provide the Tribesmen with an edge as they bid for glory in 2016.

In the publicity for the recent film and book I Believe in Miracles, the author Daniel Taylor regularly opted for a certain comparison to help people grasp the scale of Brian Clough’s magnificent achievement with Nottingham Forest in the late ‘70s.

Show jumper Denis Lynch was in the driving seat at the Mechelen World Cup show in Belgium, winning a Land Rover Discovery Sport.

The progressive Prince Of Scars caused an upset when landing the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown yesterday under a beautifully judged ride from Davy Russell.

Ian Madigan will leave Leinster next summer to join French Top 14 club Bordeaux Begles.

Who pushed the boundaries this year?

Unlike their Premier League counterparts, Spain-based players usually have their feet up around this time. But a shortened La Liga winter break this year means everything is speeding up and in places hurtling out of control.

Connacht’s Eoghan Masterson is the perfect endorsement of a player who is reaping the rewards for his indefatigable determination to play for Ireland.