B-Side Bois: A Rugby Podcast · B-Side Bois

5/8/25 B-Side Bois IAYRA State Championship Preview!

·1 hr 13 min·5 clips

Tavius Sikora-Mathis just made his Major League Rugby debut for the Chicago Hounds.

This episode of the B-Side Boys podcast features hosts Ryan Gray and Billy V previewing the upcoming Iowa high school rugby state championships. The hosts are Iowa rugby enthusiasts who also coach and play for local clubs like the West Des Moines Wombats. They begin by celebrating Major League Rugby debuts for Iowa-connected players Tavius Sikora-Mathis and Peyton Wall with the Chicago Hounds. The hosts detail the Hounds' 8-3 record and the competitive Eastern Conference race against the New England Freejacks. They announce a joint watch party for a Hounds match on May 19th at Single Speed Brewing in Des Moines. The conversation shifts to the recent All-Iowa tournament, where 14 men's teams and 4 women's teams competed in a combined format. They explain how the Palmer men's and women's sides both won championships, while the Bremer County Bucks won the men's plate. A key insight is the proposal to split future All-Iowa tournaments into separate 15s and 10s brackets to better accommodate team sizes. The hosts highlight the remarkable success of the Bremer County U14 youth program, whose A and B sides both won recent tournaments in Wisconsin and Minnesota. They express concern that the Des Moines metro area needs to develop similar youth pathways to avoid falling behind. Analyzing the high school season, they recap how Cedar Rapids Washington upset the number-two Ankeny team 19-7 in the final week. Host Billy V reflects on his Valley team's tough schedule, which included close losses to top teams like Waverly-Shell Rock and a tie with Ankeny. The tone is highly conversational and informal, filled with inside jokes and personal anecdotes from the rugby community. The style is enthusiastic and locally focused, blending results recap with grassroots development discussions. This episode is ideal for Iowa rugby players, coaches, and fans interested in the state's high school playoff picture and club rugby news. Listeners seeking analysis of professional or international rugby outside the Midwest may find the hyper-local focus less engaging.

As heard by us

A loose, local preview that gives the bracket and the rugby community equal weight.

B-Side Boys treats a state tournament preview like a clubhouse conversation, and that choice gives it some of its charm. It moves from Iowa high school talk into national brackets without losing the local pulse, with the Kansas City Rugby Football Club shoutout, the Bremer…

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Why you'd press play

Want a rugby preview that feels like being in the clubhouse before kickoff?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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