To help you get in the festive spirit we are delighted to present the ESPNscrum Countdown.

We'll be counting down the days until the North Pole's greatest loose-head prop packs down your chimney with an assortment of jokes, trivia and novelties to hopefully raise a smile or two. Check out our first offering below and be sure to check back tomorrow for your latest dose of festive fun!

What a shocker
London Irish flanker Juan Manuel Leguizamon saw his worst nightmare come true when London Wasps paid a visit to the Madejski Stadium in March 2007 and his unforgiveable error was witnessed by a then record crowd of 22,648. Thankfully for the otherwise reliable Pumas international the Exiles still managed to win the game.

Keeping up with the Joneses
Wales fielded no less than six players called Jones in their clash with South Africa on November 6, 2004. Fly-half Stephen Jones, loose-head Duncan Jones, hooker Steve Jones, tigt-head Adam Jones, flanker Dafydd Jones and No.8 Ryan Jones all lined up against the Springboks but they were unable to prevent a narrow 38-36 defeat.

An oldie but a goodie...
A man had a ticket for the Rugby World Cup Final but was seated in the upper, nosebleed seats. As the match begins, he notices an empty seat down near the pitch on the halfway line. Taking a chance, he makes his way down to the empty seat and asks the man next to it if anyone is sitting there.
"No", says the seated man, "That seat is empty."
"This is incredible," says the other man. "Who in their right mind would have a seat like this for the World Cup Final, the biggest sporting event in the world, and not use it?"
The seated man says "Well, actually, the seat belongs to me. I was supposed to come with my wife, but she passed away. This is the first World Cup Final we haven't been to together since we got married in 1987."
"Oh ... I'm sorry to hear that. That's terrible. But couldn't you find someone else - a friend or relative, or even a neighbour to take the seat?".
The seated man shakes his head. "No. They're all at the funeral."

Fantasy XV
Fantasy rugby XVs have long been the source of mild amusement for the web-savvvy rugby fans so we thought we'd do our bit - starting with a TV Detectives XV - be sure to let us know your selection gripes! But who could argue with a side boasting Vic Mackey at hooker and a Starsky & Hutch centre combination?

15. Theo Kojak (Kojak)
14. Jm Nettles (Bergerac)
13. David Starsky (Starsky & Hutch)
12. Kenneth Hutch (Starsky & Hutch)
11. Jim Rockford (The Rockford Files)
10. Frank Drebin (Police Squad)
9. Dale Cooper (Twin Peaks)
1. Hercule Poirot (Poirot)
2. Vic Mackey (The Shield)
3. Columbo (Columbo)
4. Jimmy McNulty (The Wire)
5. Eddie 'Fitz' Fitzgerald (Cracker)
6. Gene Hunt (Ashses to Ashes)
7. Jack Frost (A Touch of Frost)
8. Thomas Magnum (Magnum PI)