ESPNscrum Festive Countdown - December 22
Evans above and French vultures
ESPN Staff
December 22, 2012

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!

Player of the year ...

Harlequins fly-half Nick Evans was in scintillating form as he helped his team to a maiden Premiership title last season. He was voted RPA's Players' Player of the Year, continued that form at the start of the season and was voted September's Aviva Premiership player of the month.

Quote unquote

"The vultures have been circling for months, picking off Welsh players like pieces of meat."
Welsh Rugby Union boss Roger Lewis lashes out after Jamie Roberts and Dan Lydiate become the latest Welsh internationals to head to the Top14

Trivia Time

Who else apart from Richie McCaw has won 100 caps for the All Blacks? Find out here

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.

Heineken Cup future up in the air

Europe's leading clubs were still deadlocked over the future of the Heineken Cup and Amlim Challenge Cup as 2012 drew to a close. After four meetings in Dublin, London and Rome, the impasse between the England and French clubs and their RaboDirect Pro12 counterparts had not been resolved, meaning talks will continue in 2013.

Picture Perfect

We've also trawled the archives for some of the best shots of year for your visual pleasure. Here Toulouse's Yoann Huget celebrates his try against the Ospreys in the Heineken Cup.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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