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Take a flight out of Toulouse and you'll see rugby posts peaking out behind buildings at every opportunity. The south-west of France is rugby's Gallic heart – and yet no one knows how it first started. Rumours suggest it was English sailors playing the game on the docks of Bordeaux that first lit the fire, but now the Port of the Moon is the indisputable home of European rugby. There are 170 clubs in the South of France and 34,000 registered players. Most are farmer stock – there's a saying that rearing a young lamb is just like nurturing a new player's talents.READ MORE: The Essential Songs of the Rugby World Cup
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There is, however, a brain-drain from the English north – with only six Northerners in the World Cup squad and no players plying their club trade further north than the Midlands. This is a real shame, as the north of England has long been regarded as a rugby heartland, but in recent times Rugby League has overtaken Union in terms of popularity.WALESPopularity can either be derived by sheer numbers or, in the case of Wales, by the fervour of their love. Rugby is forged on to every Welshman's soul – whether they like it or not. Despite having a population of only 3 million, the Welsh are a prodigiously talented bunch, with a pro league of their very own and over 300 clubs, which is one for every 42-square-miles. Most of their players come from the Valleys, which may be the only place in Britain where more people can explain what a ruck is than an indirect freekick. Alongside New Zealand, Wales is one of just two entire nations that can legitimately call rugby their national sport.READ MORE: The Key Stadiums of the Rugby World Cup
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Even though rugby is now up there as Argentina's second national sport, its origins were slightly less inclusive. Originally started by British expats in 1873, locals were banned from playing the game – though they could watch. One fiery encounter in the capital in 1890 ended with every single one of the 2,500 fans being arrested. That is passion!By 1904, locals began to compete as separate clubs – and just over 100 years later, Los Pumas would compete in their first ever World Cup semi-final, eventually finishing the tournament in third spot. The Hindú Club are the ruling warriors of the Argentinian league, having existed for an impressive 96 years.NEW ZEALANDWell, obviously. The All Blacks are just as synonymous with rugby as your granny is with McVities biscuits: think of one and you automatically think of the other. Charles Monro, who fell head over heels with the sport during his time at school in London, first introduced the Maori homeland to rugby in 1870. Monro, often perceived to be the godfather of the All Blacks, not only transformed the Nelson Football Club into the Nelson Rugby Football Club, he also founded the Wellington side, as well as refereeing the first ever game on the North Island. Kiwis have cherished the sport like a newborn child ever since. Nowadays, New Zealand is home to the premier rugby club competition in the world, Super Rugby, which regularly attracts and produces the planet's finest talent.READ MORE: 10 Reasons Why the Rugby World Cup Final Will Be a Cracker
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For this World Cup, their fans have had to spend a wee fortune to be here – seriously, we're talking in the realm of £25,000. Each. But they're here in their swarms because rugby now flows in their veins. A sport not for the light-hearted, it was a match made in heaven. They're not too bad at cricket, either.CALCUTTA, INDIAHold on a second – India? Do they even have a rugby team? Cricket dominating, hockey mastering, tennis doubles specialists India? Settle down at the back: India has a long relationship with rugby.The Calcutta Cup, which is awarded to the winner of Scotland and England's match in the Six Nations, may have lost its connection with history, but it has its origins in the 19thcentury, when an English side would pit themselves against a British all-stars side in the center of Kolkata. Today there are only 40,000 registered rugby players in India (at least a fifth of them women), a miniscule drop in a vast ocean of 1.25 billion people. Nevertheless, the country is home to two ancient clubs, one of which is based in Calcutta.
Founded in 1873, the Calcutta Rugby Football Club was forged by a group of Rugby School old-boys who wanted to take the sport to the sub-continent. Despite liquidating soon after the British army presence departed the sport left its mark, both in England and India and, in recent times, Birla Tyres have sponsored a yearly tournament in the city. While the original club may have departed, the spectre lives on with an amateur outfit designed in its image.Harlequins have visited to train with the local youth while more and more charity organisations are promoting the sport in slums. While rugby may not yet be a huge thing across the nation, there's no doubt that Calcutta will always be a special place for the sport.#TheGameStartsHere in partnership with Beats by Dr. DreFor more information on Beats by Dr. Dre visit beatsbydre.comThis article originally appeared on VICE SportsREAD MORE: Profiling Rugby's Unlikeliest Heroes