"Compared to the game against them last year, we played more constructive rugby. That was one small crumb of comfort"

- Post match analysis by Irish rugby manager Pat Whelan who, had he captained the Titanic, would doubtless have pleased to have reached the iceberg ahead of schedule.

"There's more chance of Father Christmas appearing down my chimney than this fight happening."

- Lenox Lewis's manager Frank Maloney after the collapse of the proposed unification bout with Evander Holyfield which the Lewis camp blamed on the excessive demands of their rival.

"It is difficult to say for sure what the correct way of pronouncing it is."

- Nagano city official Masonari Moriya when asked for guidance on his home town's name by members of the media.

"FINA has allowed our sport to degenerate into a drug filled morass that sometimes seems impossible to extract ourselves from."

- American swimming coach John Leonard accusing the world body of poor doping controls and suggesting changes in the sport's administration which may lead to the establishment of a rival organisation.

"This is nothing to do with gambling in this country, this is big Far East stuff. I was told there was no way Arsenal would be allowed to win on the night. I was told it might be another West Ham."

- An unnamed London bookmaker quoted in a Daily Express which claimed that recent floodlight failures were staged to prevent particular results in games.