The Rugby World Cup starts tomorrow.  We’ve been building up to this moment all summer.  The Ovale clan is heading down under on tuesday for three weeks, so Palla will be ‘our man on the ground’.  Expect to see updates from his ‘World Cup Diary’.  Meanwhile, Egg Chaser will be looking after the Good Ship Cordite back home.  Our predictions and forecasts are in, New Zealanders are already panicking about not winning, and all that remains is to somehow watch the thing.  The kick-off times aren’t conducive to pint-swilling down in the pub, so what’s the best approach to enjoying the games at such alien hours?  Here’s a handy guide.

2. Buy in breakfast beforehand.  Getting out of bed at 7am to watch France v Tonga is a tricky assignment, but that’s only half the battle.  Staying awake once you’re on the couch is entirely another matter.  It’s important to have the right breakfast.  Invariably that involves lots of protein and not so much carbohydrate, which is likely to induce food coma.  Think Bertie Wooster (eggs and bacon) rather than The Inbetweeners (rounds of toast).  And a pot of hot coffee is, of course, essential.  Bright light bulbs and a cool room are also likely to stop you nodding off.

3. Parents, take advantage!  If, like both WoC scribes, you have little people running around your house, you’re at a massive advantage.  7am wake up call, you say?  What’s new about that?  Take the easy brownie points on offer and watch the rugby (or ‘fighting’ as Little Ovale calls it) while your spouse enjoys a lie-on.

4. Take a power nap.  If you’re planning to watch Scotland v Romania at 2am in the morning, don’t try staying up all the way.  Chances are you’ll do the hard work and your eyes will fold over at around 1.35am.  Sleep cycles are four hours, so get to bed at 10pm for four hours and you’ll wake up feeling not so dreadful.

5. And finally, have Twitter open!  We’ll be tweeting our thoughts on as many games and key moments as we can manage.

One more sleep!  One more sleep!  One more sleep!