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A mix of some of the Rugby World Cup's biggest characters, important issues and global stories.

We’re with the Japanese team as they acclimatise to new surroundings with the help of some food, especially shipped in from home.
We join the Italian squad as they test out some of the state-of-the-art technology that allows players to recover quicker.
Plus we delve in to the history of the sport and the cultural differences between rugby and other popular sports.

Iranian Pioneer
Football in Iran is hugely popular, and since the sports governing body FIFA changed it's rules on the wearing of headscarfs whilst playing, more and more women are being attracted to take up the game. The growth of the sport is all the more notable because the Islamic republic bans women from attending men's matches. Katayoun Khosrowyar now a veteran of the Iranian national women's squad was part of the very first team to represent the country. She tells us about being a pioneer of the sport.

Tri- A little Harder
Although the Olympic discipline of triathlon has grown in popularity, it still suffers with an image issue. It's accused of being the preserve of the wealthy and competition only really exists in western countries. So how can the sport shed this perception and increase world participation?

Banking to Biking
The US state of Virginia where local highways and side streets will, for a week, become a race course as both the men's and women's cycling World Road Championships are contested. We hear from one of the main contenders who swapped a career in banking for a bike.

Sporting Witness… looks back to the Romanian Revolution of 1989 which had a big impact on the nation’s rugby fortunes.

PHOTO: Official balls of the 2015 Rugby World Cup (CREDIT: LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images)