Australia vs Japan is tomorrow. That one should be fun, in a "merciless steamroller" kind of way.

The Rugby World Cup is under way! Join with me in great rejoicing!

What do you mean, you're not really into sports? No matter! I'm not either. The concept of watching footballers run round a pitch for 90 minutes, collapsing to the ground and whining every time someone makes the slightest contact with their shinguards in the hope of getting a cheap penalty, does not fill me with joy. Neither does the concept of watching cricketers get slowly fried and/or bored out in the sun. But give me a decent rugby game, and I'm right there.

The reasons for this are many. For a start, rugby is one of the very few sports where a match with more at stake results in a better spectacle. It's no coincidence that two football World Cup finals have ended in penalty shootouts - if one goal is the margin between winning and losing, you're always going to hang back and defend your goal rather than pushing forward. Similarly in cricket, a Test match lasts so long that you'll frequently see otherwise brilliant players carefully swatting the ball back up the wicket, with no intention of running.

In rugby, though, the only way to score is to attack, and to attack hard. Moreover, the roles of attack and defence being clearly delineated means that you don't have any option over whether to play an attacking or defending game - if you've got the ball, you attack, it's that simple. This means that a better team will not only completely cream their opposition, they'll generally do so with some beautiful running and passing, and big games usually have a quite respectable scoreline.

Rugby is also fun to watch because something is happening all the time. I have to confess, I do quite like watching Match of the Day; however, this is because MotD compresses an entire football match into five minutes full of moments of genius. All the failed attacks and the passes back to the keeper (what is the point of that tactic, anyway?) get cut. In rugby, though, you have no chance of getting any points unless you're well into your opponent's half, long penalties aside, and the only way to score highly is to reach the very end of the field. In practical terms, then, territory becomes extremely important, and every action on the field is also important. If you're in a hurry, though, the highlights still look great - a slow-motion try always looks fantastic.

I could go on, but I'll just mention a couple more things. Any sport which includes a "blood replacement", the mechanism for which includes the implicit assumption that the player who just staggered off with about three gallons of blood pouring down his shirt is going to be returning to the field within ten minutes, must be a good sport. Then there's the opportunity for people with unconventional body shapes to take the field - the front row of a scrum, even though they are athletic in their own way, do not look "sporty".

And, lastly, we have some of the individual players, who you can watch for their moments of brilliance, or just for their silly appearance. I've just watched the opening match of the tournament, and (look away now if you haven't seen it yet oops too late) it was a good one - excellent play from both sides, some very nice creativity, and a deserving win for Argentina. And, of course, a chance to look at Michalak (I wonder if his mummy knows he's out there), David Skrela (greatest moody teenager haircut ever), and...Sébastien Chabal.

Yeah...are you going to tell him he looks silly, or shall I?
Image modified from one nicked off the BBC. Might count as fair dealing. Please don't sue me.