I don’t know if you’ve heard but there’s this little pick up rugby game played in Europe called 6 Nations? Well every February, while people below the Equator are creaming their panties over Super 14 [And I'm still not celebrating my Very Merry UnBirthday], six countries (Or three if you stubbornly insist on thinking Wales, Scotland, England and Ireland are part of Great Britain) battle it out for European rugby supremacy! So what’s the damn difference you ask, other than the dearth of Polynesians on Anglo soil?

Well ya’ll know I love me some Southern Hemisphere rugby but I also love the game being played in the North. Even though the game is the same all over the world, it’s the style of play that separates the two. If you should ask your average rugby fan what the main difference between the two is, you will most likely get the short and sweet answer – Speed. The South tends to favor “faster” play with more emphasis on the role of the Backs as opposed to the North’s “slower” and seemingly more structured game play with emphasis on the Forwards.

Now I’ll admit that I sometimes find myself dozing off during a few of these games but I can’t place all the blame on the teams. Spending so much time on Super 14 with all the writing and podcasting doesn’t help! A sista gets plum tuckered out yo! But not having to “put on a show” and just being able to sit back and enjoy the game at my leisure is very relaxing which means I sometimes nod off. So sue me!

But I have two reasons why I still make the effort to watch this tournament, the first being that because I don’t have all the ‘Nesian and Le Michalak (He’s slumming it down South Africa way for Super 14) distractions I can focus on the game because I’m still learning. The second reason is that I get to see those Smoking Hot Pieces of Rugby Trash – Mauro and Mirco Bergamasco! Truth be told, I prefer the younger Mirco but I wouldn’t kick Mauro out of bed if ya know what I mean!

So please enjoy my little slideshow tribute to the hottest Italian brothers since Romulus and Remus! And after you drool over the show, watch a few 6 Nations games! Le Michalak is gone but Sean Fergus Lamont and his AMAZING ass is still playing!  Oh and don't forget all the new young talent on the French side!  So many new tight asses...so little time!  Sigh...