Beats By Dre Steps Into The Rugby World Cup Scrum With Signature Style

Just in time to kick off the 2015 Rugby World Cup this weekend, Beats by Dre have unveiled three new short films to get the adrenaline pumping.

The spots, created with agency R/GA, focus on star players from three of the tournament’s top contending countries. Though Australia and South Africa fans may have a thing or two to say about the brand’s choices, we’re given a stylish look at New Zealand’s Riche McCaw, England, and Wesley Fofana of France. Unfortunately, it looks like Fofana’s action will be limited to the marketing, since he suffered an injury in a warm-up match and won’t play in France’s opening game against Italy. England’s Chris Robshaw and Courtney Lawes

We don’t hear a signature song in two of the three films, but the brand has taken its now signature style of sports storytelling and tried it with a different soundtrack. Beats CMO Omar Johnson told Co.Create earlier this year that he wants viewers to understand the story of each ad even without music. “I push our team to do it that way because I’ve seen brands that depend too much on a certain song or celebrity. We try to make great stories, then sit with Jimmy and his magic iPod to find a great song that lifts it even higher. We use the music to take it to the next level. What song does it need to complete this thought?”

For New Zealand, it’s the iconic Haka, exclusively composed for Beats by Kapa Haka Haka leader and composer Inia Maxwell. For France it’s the complaints and armchair strategies of its famously fickle fans. The England film is the only one that fits the familiar Beats model, featuring the track “Jerusalem” by Jacob Collier.

It’s Beats’ first foray into a sport without a huge North American following—Johnson has said it will also be looking at cricket soon—but the brand clearly proves here its got the skills and style to tackle any global game.