Mate... Christmas ya can't beat it! BBQ's, wine, Cone Stadium... a winning combination if ever I heard of one.

Jules is talking computer speak to someone on the phone, but it isn't phasing me, I want to write rugby!

Of course I want to complain at this stage about the person who stole my ability to touch type, Mr. Lindauer I think his name was, bastard!

Really what I want to talk about is very serious... (quite against the whole school of thought of rugbyheads I know!) and this is whether it is really that bad that we lost to France in the second test!

I know what you are thinking... when did we play France, were they before the Zimbawaens arrived or what? No I want you to use that memory that you supposedly lost after that really bad christmas staff party you were not going to drink at this year! Remember way back, hell it was probably back in November 2000, whenever the RugbyHeads game commentaries stopped for the season, that is probably the time!

We were going to kick their butts in the second test! Have you heard that kind of talk before? Yes you have, maybe... before a game against a French side... in a little known tournament called the Rugby World Cup! (Now you remember don't you!)

So the point of this is... (and yes being a boy - I do have a point!) did we all instantly die, did the world end... or have we gotten a life?!?

No really sometimes I think that you have to ignore the 6 o'clock news and make your own mind up about something! And you know what, I was feeling really quite OK about the game! I mean, OK the score wasn't so crash hot, being a losing one and all, but really what the hell.

We didn't play that badly! And correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't there a bit of a last minute "Canterbury-type" fightback. But really who can remember back an entire millienium! Especially when it was a lose.

And while I can still remember it, wasn't there a comment by a Rugby Commentator on how the Canterbury NPC team would still had one game left in them for the NPC final!! And you may remember fondly (if you are the Wellington supporter) what happened in that game.

So when it comes to the last game of the international series, one that just happened to feature 10 Cantabrians out of the 26 strong squad, and about 8 of the test team... (yeah that one against the French!) Well anyway there was a bit of namby pamby talk about this being the fortieth game of the season for some of the troops and maybe they were being spread a bit thin.

But then of course the famous line was trotted out, if you can't pick yourself up for a ABs game then there is something wrong with you, of course they can win!

And yet... we didn't.

And still life goes on.

Have we grown as a nation? Or is it time to watch a bit of cricket?

Don't know! At least we have two trophies in that CRFU cabinet :-P