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!

The man is a Beast

South African prop Beast Mtawarira proved to be an internet hit earlier this year thanks to a phenomenal show of strength during the Sharks' Super Rugby outing against the Stormers. The Springboks powerhouse and his lock Anton Bresler over-ran a re-start forcing the second row to stretch for the ball. What happened next is just awe-inspiring and a testament to the Beast's power. Not content with doing it once - he did it again soon after. Incredible.

Quote Unquote

"How in the name of Jesus are we getting to the point where a guy flies into the country and he will play for Ireland?"
- Former Ireland captain Keith Wood despairs at the immediate promotion of Kiwi Michael Bent into the international set-up

Trivia Time

New Zealand's 18-18 draw with Australia back in October not only brought an end to their winning run but also their incredible try-scoring run. But for how many consecutive games had they managed to cross the whitewash up to that game? 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.

Depression takes a cruel toll
As television captured the day's successes and failures, hiding just behind the HD-quality pictures was a much more sobering story."
ESPN's Nick Mullins reflects on how depression became one of last season's most pressing themes.

We've also trawled the archives for some of the best shots of year for your visual pleasure - here we rewind the clock to when South Africa broke New Zealand's stranglehold on the IRB Junior World Championship crown with a memorable 22-16 victory over the Baby Blacks in Cape Town back in June.