The Times of India piece focuses on Jalandhar - a city in the north-western India state of Punjab that manufactures rugby balls and has done so for some time.
"Between 15,000 and 20,000 balls are manufactured here daily for the past few months," the paper reported in regards to the increase in production because of the World Cup.
The Times of India also revealed that large international brands get rugby balls manufactured in Jalandhar "under strict confidentiality".
It reported: "Sources in the industry reveal that a few prominent brands which have licence to provide balls during the World Cup also have their manufacturers in Jalandhar."
Another rugby-related story in the same paper, this one a little less interesting, talks about the towels being used by players at the Rugby World Cup. Turns out they were made in India too. Yet another angle showing just how global the Rugby World Cup really is, both on the field and off.
"...the sight of massive men pummeling each other in scrums is becoming more frequent on the nation's pitches" - German newspaper
A story in the German business newspaper Handelsblatt, headlined "Rugby Invades German Soccer Pitches", starts by describing our national game as a "a British sport for big, stocky men and the forerunner to American football". Once you have moved past that, however, the article is truly fascinating - revealing the growing popularity of the oval-ball game on German soil and how Rugby World Cup viewership numbers have been "far higher than expected" over the past few weeks.
The newspaper reported that there were over 300,000 viewers for the first game between England and Fiji and more than 2.6 million for the three games screened on German TVs in the first week. Despite having a large population, for a country obsessed with football and without a team in the tournament, this is pretty impressive.
To compare, Nielsen TV figures have shown that over 230,000 people watched that opening World Cup game in New Zealand on SKY Sport 1 and another 182,000 on Prime. The broadcaster Eurosport was so impressed with the German viewership figures that it increased the number of games it would screen from 23 to 26 and now 32, Handelsblatt reported. But maybe this isn't too surprising after all, when you consider the long history rugby has in Germany. The article looks into that as well. Turns out it was fairly popular before the Nazis banned it during World War II.
Fashionable rugby balls?
It seems fashion houses are even getting involved in the Rugby World Cup frenzy. Luxurious designer brand Chanel has brought out its own range of rugby balls to tie in with the World Cup. GQ UK and Elle Australia reported that the designer balls are crafted from the brand's trademark quilted leather and even have the renowned logo stitched into it. The limited edition balls come in white, burgundy, navy blue, and black and are expected to be worth a small fortune. Apparently the brand's founder, French fashion designer Coco Chanel, was a keen sportswoman and current head designer and creative director Karl Lagerfeld is paying tribute to her designs with these balls. A unique sporting collectable that's for sure!
"...some of the best players are not playing" in the World Cup?
The New York Times had this interesting take on the Rugby World Cup and the contractual barriers that prevent some players from competing in it.
The Times is not the first media outlet to cover the issue, which mostly affects the tier two nations.
Star players from these lower-ranked sides often travel overseas to play professional rugby and some sign contracts that prevent them, or make it hard, to take time off to represent their own country. Some of the examples mentioned in the article included players from Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and Uruguay, who are contracted to European club sides and have, for some reason or another, pulled out of the World Cup or preparation tournaments and camps leading into it. Often the reasons for doing so are kept quiet. The Times made comparisons to football to show just how ridiculous this is.
"Imagine if Bosnia's national soccer team had not been able to take its wunderkind forward Edin Dzeko to the World Cup in Brazil last summer. Or if Ivory Coast had not been able to take stalwarts like Didier Drogba or Yaya Touré. Or if United States Coach Jurgen Klinsmann had not been allowed to put Tim Howard, perhaps the most famous American playing abroad, on his roster."
This issue is not something the top sides have to worry about too much. As explained by Samoan and London Welsh player Dan Leo in the article, "The top nations are able to compensate the clubs for the release of their players, while the Tier 2 nations can't pay the clubs, so they know there are players they can't use".
There is a World Rugby law that looks to stop this from happening - Regulation 9 - but it is still occurring and after all of the amazing upsets this World Cup, it does make you wonder how much better the likes of Tonga, Fiji, Samoa and others would do if competing with a full-strength side.
