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This jolly, festive, goodwill-to-all-men-even-Kiwis edition of Rolling Maul comes with warm thanks to all our lovely subscribers. Those clever people who count clicks and hits and all that stuff tell me that Rolling Maul is growing in size and scope and subscribers all the time.

Thanks so much to everyone who responded to the items and please keeping picking me up on everything I get wrong in the year ahead – even though, of course, that won’t take you long. Join the debate. It’s better than ringing some non-celeb half-wit on a crackling mobile phone on Radio 5 Live. And this is free.

The year ahead can hardly fail to be brilliant, despite the adverse effects of the credit crunch and the sport’s efforts to ride out the storm. There will be Martin Johnson’s second attempt at an England revival during the Six Nations. There will be evidence of whether Wales are indeed on their way to greatness, and Scotland on their way to anything, and whether Monster Munster can repeat their success. But towering way above everything else, are the Lions. Bless their green and blue socks. What a series it will be.

What a year! Rolling Maul in May and June, god and Geech willing, will be coming from South Africa. But hopefully, before and after that tour, it will dust off most corners and byways of the sport at all levels, not just the glam bits. Hope you stick with it.

Merry Christmas and happy new year!

Roar begins for British Lions year

The replica jerseys are already appearing and by May, there will be a red blizzard with white stripes, even back home in the United Kingdom. In the three Test venues, there will be seething banks of red, and it will seem like a home game – for our dear Lions. They say that the Lions sell more replica shirts than Real Madrid.

Frankly, in Lions year the rest fades into insignificance. The RBS Six Nations will obviously be fantastic but the chief value this year will lay for me in any evidence offered that we have 33 giants to take on and beat the Springboks in their backyard – which was not obvious during the autumn internationals.

And between the recent launch of the glamorous red tops and the time that the first ball is kicked at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg, in the first match of the tour in late May, there will be endless debate, which is half the fun of the whole thing. By the time Ian McGeechan names his tour party and later, his Test team, both will already have been selected around two million times, by you, me, and everyone; and in every clubhouse, stadium terrace and bar in the land. What could be better?

So let’s make a start. It is silly being too dogmatic with the Six Nations to come, because five names in the party change after every round of the grand old tournament. But at present, it terms of which country has most players on the plane, I have the following order: Wales, Ireland, England, Scotland.

As captain, a month or two ago I had the following contenders in order; Paul O’Connell, Brian O’Driscoll, Ryan Jones. My order now is O’Connell and Jones joint top; Phil Vickery third; O’Driscoll has fallen off the back of the pack and on his current form, could even struggle to make the tour. That could leave at least two national captains at home, as Steve Borthwick is highly unlikely to make it either.