The week in sport – in pictures

'Lahana' sails through a choppy Sydney Harbour during the 2011 Sydney To Hobart race Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

It's not Upton Park but Carrow Road that is reflected in this bubble that's floating around before Tottenham Hotspur's 2-0 victory over Norwich City Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

Gareth Bale, who got both goals in the game, celebrates scoring his second with team-mate Emmanuel Adebayor Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

That is one hell of a tattoo that Denver Nuggets' Chris Andersen is sporting Photograph: Ross D. Franklin/AP

Exhausted competitors lay on the ground after completing the FIS Tour de Ski Oberhof Men's Prolouge Photograph: Dennis Grombkowski/Bongarts/Getty Images

Afghan rugby players participate in the Kabul Sevens Rugby Tournament in the Chaman-e Hozouri area of Kabul. Afghanistan kicked off its first official rugby tournament on 23 December, with organisers hoping game will one day be as popular as buzkashi, a kind of polo played with the carcass of a headless goat. Cricket and football have already gained a strong following, and regional sporting success has offered a rare glimmer of hope in the war-wracked country. But enthusiasts believe Afghans, who have faced decades of conflict and hardship, are even better suited to the rough and tumble of the rugby field, which is more akin the national sport buzkashi, without the need for horses Photograph: Massoud Hossaini/AFP/Getty Images

Phil Jaques of the Hurricanes bats during the T20 Big Bash League match between the Adelaide Strikers and the Hobart Hurricanes at the Adelaide Oval Photograph: Morne de Klerk/Getty Images

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson (89) somersaults over Arizona Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington (58) for a touchdown in their 23-16 victory Photograph: Darron Cummings/AP

Yves Studer, right, and Aliaksandr Sushchyts pause during the middleweight IBF East-West fight, at the Boxing Day meeting in Bern Photograph: Peter Klaunzer/EPA

United States Marines hold up a giant stars and stripes before the Holiday Bowl NCAA college football game between California and Texas Photograph: Gregory Bull/AP