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 quickest man in rugby

There has been a long-standing debate in rugby surrounding just who is the quickest player currently tearing up pitches around the globe. South Africa's Bryan Habana famously raced a cheetah to illustrate his speed while Taku Ngwenya later out-gassed him in the 2007 World Cup to launch him onto the world stage. But in more recent times, it seems the short-format of the sport - Sevens - seems to be benefit from the quickest men. Step forward Carlin Isles. He has only been playing rugby for 12 weeks but is already turning out for the USA in the HSBC Sevens World Series and has pace to burn.

Quote Unquote

"We looked up and Netani was sucking out the eyeballs and spitting out the little hard bit in the middle on to his plate."
- Scotland's Tim Visser recalls a dining experience with Fiji's Netani Talei during their summer tour.

Trivia Time

Which player has scored the most tries for the British & Irish Lions in Test matches? 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.

A parallel universe
"The scene is Twickenham on the first day of January 2012 in a parallel universe."
Hugh Godwin's feature speculated on what could have happened had England won the World Cup.

Picture Perfect

We've also trawled the archives for some of the best shots of year for your visual pleasure - here we see former Melbourne Rebels playmaker Danny Cipriani busting out the 'dougie' - a dance move that has caught on around the rugby globe.