Allez les bleus-blancs-rouges

What a fine day for the armchair sports fan with a heart of Albion! England's national side in action on three fronts, in the cricket, the football and the rugby. Leaving aside the latter (a win against a team of US amateurs that smacked more of defeat and which never stood much of a chance in any case in the viewing stakes, being scheduled at precisely the same time as the football), England's wins on the cricket field against India and at New Wembley against Israel were the source of great satisfaction, and the cricketers had the sense to finish off the Indians just as McClaren's men were about to kick off on another channel. Great, super, smashing.

Yet a source of real revelation for this particular sports fan was the evening game (let's face it, today I was in it for the duration) between France and Italy.

After over a decade of living in the country I think it's fair to say that tonight was the first time I really wanted France to win like it was my home team. One reason of course was that France was playing Italy, and no-one likes cheats. But even at the last World Cup Final, I found myself having to suppress an inward chuckle when my hosts fell over at the last hurdle against the very same ghastly Gattuso and his henchmen. "C'était plus fort que moi", I couldn't help it, as they say.

Don't get me wrong, when England next come up against the French, there'll be no contest (apart from the Rugby League where I'll continue to root for the Catalan Dragons - although that's more of a plucky underdog thing I suppose), and I'll no doubt be rooting for the Scots on Wednesday when they play the French (or I would if England weren't playing at the same time). But when you've got two little Froggy nippers avidly watching beside their Roast Beef dad on the couch, and who are as much a product of this land as they are of your own loins, then I guess a bit of their blood finds its way back into you.