KEY POINTS:
Anyone else a bit bleary-eyed? Feeling a little more patriotic than usual? Been up in the early hours getting your fill of international competition?
Yes, the European Championship qualifiers are an enjoyable diversion from the league season.
I was perversely disappointed that Israel didn't get something from the England game to save us from the inevitable indignity of another quarter-final exit on penalties next June, but it'll be a sterner test against Russia on Thursday morning.
I understand there's another big international competition on, but it's probably not worth getting up for - until the semi-finals anyway.
At least in football you can look forward to some shocks. Who would have thought, for example, that Ghana would beat the Czech Republic last year?
That's the problem with the Rugby World Cup. There's only a handful of teams that can win it and you can pretty much pick the semi-finalists now.
Portugal are there. They are amateurs. Amateurs. At a world cup!
It's nice to know the fanaticism and prevailing madness here is not repeated in Europe. I was asked how the French would be responding to their defeat to Argentina. They couldn't give a camembert. They're more worried about a 0-0 with Italy in the football.
This isn't a blog about football versus rugby (there's no competition), but while I'm on the subject I did happen to catch a bit of England's win over the USA.
It proved my theory that the England players come from one tiny gene pool, with most of them having shared the same Eton dormitory. Josh, Olly and Lawrence? Oh, I say. Jolly good show chaps.
Where's Sean, Wayne and Frank?
Contrary to its perception here, football will always be the common man's sport in Europe.
