It's that time of year again and in what is now surely a tradition to rival the turkey, the tree and all the trimmings, we're delighted to herald the return the ESPNscrum Festive Countdown for your amusement.

Once again, we'll be counting down the days until the big one with an assortment of trivia and novelties to brighten your day - sadly, chocolate not included. Check out our latest offering below and be sure to check back tomorrow for your latest dose of festive fun!

Slip 'n' slide

Harlequins exited from the Amlin Challenge Cup at the quarter-final stage of last year's competition when they fell to the galacticos of Toulon at the Stade Felix Mayol. George Robson led the team out but stacked it in the tunnel en route to the pitch. Harlequins ended up losing the match 37-8 with Jonny Wilkinson putting them to the sword from the kicking tee.

Quote Unquote

"'It's quite simple', he would say, 'all you need is a girl that looks like Cindy Crawford and is able to calve a cow in the middle of the night'."
- Ulster hooker Rory Best remembers the late Nevin Spence's relationship advice at a memorial service at Ravenhill.

Trivia Time

Which hooker has scored the most tries in the World Cup? Click here for the answer

And something you may have missed...

ESPNscrum endeavours to bring you an intoxicating mix of news, views and analysis and one or two of these gems may have passed you by over the last 12 months - but don't worry, we've dusted them off for your pleasure.

The lard comeback
"Thomas Waldrom is my Obama. He has given me and I assume, many of my slightly wobbly ilk, hope"
Mark Durden-Smith pays tribute to one of his heroes.

Picture Perfect

We've also trawled the archives for some of the best shots of year for your visual pleasure - here we see Digby Ioane some of his body art. The Wallabies flyer had a mixed 2012 as he only scored two tries for Australia but he is still one of the most dangerous wingers in world rugby.