The Bois are back! In this week’s episode, Mr. Gray, Philly V, and Sam Hendricks kick things off by recapping the college rugby playoff landscape for our local Iowa squads and previewing UNI Men’s Rugby as they gear up for a huge postseason run!
From there, the crew breaks down all the action from the Midwest Finals championship matches.
Then we’re joined by a special guest: Nick May of the D2 Midwest Champion South Side Irish! Nick gives us an inside look at SSI’s journey, how the club elevated themselves from “pretty good” to Midwest champions, and what’s next for the boys in green.
After that, we bounce around the global game with a quick look at the international test matches, some USA Rugby news, SVNS and 6 Nations opportunities and then it all goes off the rails. We dive into more unserious MLR talk and finish with a Philly V blind ranking that is so bad we probably should’ve ended the show early.
A huge thank you to all our sponsors Direct Voice, SingleSpeed Brewing, West Des Moines Wombats, Koality Works, The Iowa Rugby Foundation, and Tyler Dailey for supporting the podcast and Iowa rugby!
🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!
Episode 162 is here and it’s a BIG one!
Mr. Gray and Nichols are joined by the triumphant return of Philly V and Iowa State Men’s Rugby Head Coach Ant Frein for a packed show.
The boys break down the latest livestreaming updates, recap college playoff action, and look ahead at the huge matches still to come. They also dive into the Autumn International Series with all the chaos, drama, and standout moments you’d expect.
Finally, we jump into part one of a massive conversation on reimagining Major League Rugby—inspired by feedback from our posts across social media. The debate got rolling so hard that we couldn’t even finish it… so stay tuned for more!
As always, the MLR talk is just a fun thought experiment between a few guys saying random things from the comfort of the Wombat Den—but we’d love to bring in more voices from outside our “territory” to keep the conversation going about how MLR can grow, improve, and build long-term sustainability.
Tune in, enjoy the chaos, and let us know your thoughts! 🎙️🍻
Mr. Gray, Nichols, and Sam Hendricks are back for another jam-packed episode of The B-Side Bois! The guys kick things off with a livestream reminder for the upcoming Iowa vs Kansas matchup—presented by the Iowa Rugby Foundation and proudly supported by new sponsor Koality Work out of Iowa City.
They cover huge news around the state:
🏉 Iowa Men clinch the #1 seed and will host playoffs vs Kansas
🏉Iowa State Men head south to Oklahoma for the HOA Semifinal
💜 UNI Men advance to the Great Midwest Final after a dominant win
⚔️ Thomas More rolls past ICCC 53–7
💪 UNI Women return to action Nov. 14th
Plus, an Iowa Rugby Union update—coaches are needed!—and a full Midwest Rugby Union standings and playoff breakdown.
Check out an interview with Kansas Rugby's Marcus Williamson, followed by Iowa’s Ren Heimer to talk preparation and mindset ahead of the massive playoff clash.
The lads also go global—recapping Ireland vs New Zealand, England vs Australia, and USA vs Scotland. They look ahead to November 8th’s weekend slate, discuss world rankings, and even debate potential USA Rugby World Cup host cities.
Finally, they dive into how American rugby can grow the game by learning from other nations—with plenty of laughs, insight, and strong opinions along the way.
#WayOfTheWombats #GrowTheGame #BsideBois
Mr. Gray, Nichols, and Sam Hendricks are back together to talk all things rugby! Well, Nichols and Same meet for the first time ever in this episode, but name another podcast that can cover Iowa High School Girls Rugby, National 7s Girls Rugby, an interview with Anna Degen from the Iowa Rugby Union Women’s Development Committee, a full recap of college rugby across Iowa, updates from the Midwest Rugby Union, and deep discussion on how to keep improving the game in the heartland—all in one episode!
Of course, the bois don’t stop there. They dive into international rugby news, share plenty of laughs, and offer thoughtful insights along the way. Whether you’re a player, coach, fan, or just rugby-curious—everyone’s welcome in the B-Side Bois clubhouse.
And don’t forget: tune in to our livestream of the Kansas Jayhawks at the Iowa Hawkeyes on November 8th, presented by the Iowa Rugby Foundation, live on our YouTube channel!
🎙 Episode 159: State Championship Preview + International Updates
The B-Side Bois are back with a huge episode! We’re announcing that we’ll be live streaming the IAYRA Girls State Rugby Championship this Sunday at noon — presented by DirectVoice Services, LLC!
We dive deep into a full preview of the 8-team state tournament, breaking down how each squad earned their spot and what to expect on Championship Sunday. We’re joined by Norwalk Co-Head Coach Bryant Reynolds, who shares how his team is preparing for the challenge as the #4 seed.
Then we turn things over to International Correspondent Eric Nichols, who catches us up on everything from around the globe — the Women’s World Cup, USA Men qualifying for the next World Cup, Autumn International matches, pro league updates, and a discussion on R360 and what it means for the sport.
We wrap up with a look ahead at the Midwest Rugby Playoffs and what clubs are heating up.
Stream now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and don’t miss our livestream this Sunday at noon on YouTube!
#IAYRA #RugbyIowa #GirlsRugby #BsideBois #RugbyPodcast #MidwestRugby #USAeagles #WayOfTheWombats #WinWithTheWombats
🎙️ Episode 158 is LIVE!
Mr. Gray and Sam Hendricks dive into the IAYRA Girls High School season as the State Tournament approaches — and announce that the B-Side Bois will be LIVE STREAMING the State Championship on October 19th!
We recap local college rugby from UNI, Iowa, and Iowa State before welcoming Davey LaCroix and Matt Derry of the Lincoln Wolves Rugby Club to talk about the club’s history, revival, joining the Iowa Rugby Union, and how they’re growing rugby and culture in their community.
We wrap it all up with Sam’s new “Spooky Season” segment featuring a Top 15 lineup of horror movie icons 👻
Presented by Convergence Acquisitions (Direct Voice) and SingleSpeed Brewing.
Listen now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts — link in bio!
#BSideBoisPodcast #IowaRugby #MidwestRugby #LincolnWolvesRugby #WinWithTheWombats #WayOfTheWombats
Join us as we cover IAYRA Girls updates, Interview with Norwalk Girls Head Coach and Iowa Rugby Union President Bryant Reynolds, Senior Side Updates, College Updates, USA Updates, MLR Updates, and so much more!
Episode 156 brings a new twist with guest host Sam Hendricks of the West Des Moines Wombats, stepping in for his audition phase. You might know him as the Wombats’ #8 or recognize his voice from the spring live stream of the Iowa High School Selects against the NW Missouri Bulls.
We kick things off recapping the end of summer before catching up with Sadie Denner of Iowa State University Women’s Rugby as she gears up for her freshman season. From there, we dive into the USA Women’s World Cup pool play and their promising future, followed by a look at the USA Men’s much-needed win over Samoa and the challenges ahead.
The episode also covers top college matches from around the Midwest, Week 1 Iowa Youth Rugby Girls action, Midwest Senior rugby results, and the latest from Major League Rugby. It’s two hours of rugby coverage spanning local to international, filled with laughs, insights, and some serious conversations.
Did Sam “The Hendozer” Hendricks earn his spot as a host? Tune in to find out.
In this episode, Mr. Gray is finally reunited with International Correspondent Eric Nichols, making his long-awaited return after more than two months away. The two catch up and jump right into some big news, kicking things off with a look at the newest inductees into the University of Northern Iowa Rugby Hall of Fame. Then they hop on the phone with Iowa Rugby Union’s own Bryant Reynolds to get the latest updates from around the state and preview what’s in store at the upcoming Summer Annual General Meeting. To wrap things up, Nichols takes us on a whirlwind tour of international test matches, world rankings, and all the biggest rugby stories from across the globe—sprinkled with plenty of laughs and classic Nichols commentary along the way.
In this jam-packed episode, we sit down with Iowa State Men’s Head Coach Ant Frein to hear all about Lucy’s Legion Lu’au — his special charity tournament he’s organizing to help others that have experienced the loss of a child. We also catch up with Casey Hansen to chat about the Bremer U14 squad, Iowa Selects high school boys, and the standout Waverly-Shell Rock girls making waves this summer.
But that’s not all! We break down everything happening across Iowa rugby — from the Midwest Thunderbird Cup to the Iowa Summer 7s Series, the Iowa Annual General Meeting, and the latest action from Major League Rugby and the Women’s Elite Rugby Championships.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a B-Side Bois episode without plenty of laughs — and we take a moment to give a huge congratulations to Philly V on becoming a father!
Join Mr. Gray and Andrew Ridgway as they drive from West Des Moines to Chicago for the Thunderbird Cup! They recap all things Iowa Rugby Union, IAYRA State Tournament, MLR, and so much more!
Philly V is back with Mr. Gray to break down all the exciting happenings of rugby related to Iowa in this episode! Exciting MLR Debut for the Chicago Hounds, Iowa Rugby Union All-Iowa Tournament Recap, and our preview of the IAYRA Boys' State Championships and SO MUCH MORE! Join us!
It's another quick episode with Mr. Gray! There's so much going on from high school, to college, to senior side, to MLR, to USA Eagles, to crowning champions to the B-Side Bois talking about themselves! Join us for a quick update on all things rugby!
A quick episode updating you on the IAYRA season and some other news and notes!
Join us as we recap Week 3 of IAYRA Boys action and preview Week 4! We are also joined by IUP's Head Coach Seth Erwin as he looks to lead his program to another national championship while offering his rugby knowledge to us! We cover all sorts of other topics in Iowa, Midwest, Nationally, and Internationally as well!
Join Mr. Gray & Philly V as they have special guest Victor Wong in studio! Vic is the 1st year head coach of West Des Moines Valley and a member of the West Des Moines Wombats! They break down all the action in the IAYRA Boys Spring Season along with some fun stories along the way. Then the Bois are joined by Mossy from The Top of The League Podcast as they pick back up from their break as well as grinding away with the South Pitt Hooligans on their way to D3 Men's Nationals! This, and so much more in this episode!
Mr. Gray is solo to bring you all updates with the Iowa Youth Rugby Association Boys' Spring season. He recaps Week 1, he previews Week 2, and he has some BREAKING NEWS! He also recaps the happenings of rugby in Iowa, the Midwest, and Nationally! Being an only child helped prepare him to bring you this episode as he's had a lot of practice talking to himself as a kid!
In this episode of The B-Side Bois: A Rugby Podcast, we sit down with Talan Nelson of the Iowa Rugby Report to hear about his new social media platform dedicated to highlighting high school rugby in Iowa. We also preview the IAYRA boys season, which kicks off this Friday, and run through all the latest rugby happenings across the state. Plus, we take a deep dive into the thrilling conclusion of the 6 Nations Tournament and so much more!
This week on the B-Side Bois, the crew is joined by Iowa Rugby Union President Bryant Reynolds for an in-depth conversation about all things rugby in Iowa and the Midwest. They break down key updates from the Midwest Annual Grand Meeting in Detroit and discuss what’s ahead for the region.
The boys also dive into the latest from the Iowa Youth Rugby Association as teams gear up for the start of practices. Plus, they check in on their 6 Nations Pick’em Challenge, take a look at the current Major League Rugby standings, and cover plenty more from the world of rugby.
Tune in for another packed episode of B-Side Bois!
In this jam-packed episode of The B-Side Bois: A Rugby Podcast, the Bois dive into the world of women’s rugby in the U.S. with two incredible guests. First, we chat with Rachel Ehrecke, USA Women’s National Team player, Foundational Five member of WER Denver Onyx, Penn State alum, and former IAYRA State MVP from Iowa. Then, we sit down with Jenny Dillon, President of the Women’s Board for Quad City Irish Women’s Rugby, to discuss the growth of the game at the grassroots level.
But that’s not all—we break down the latest happenings in Iowa high school rugby, give our first impressions of the highly anticipated RUGBY25 video game, and check in on Major League Rugby’s opening weekend. Plus, we make our Round 3 Six Nations predictions and, of course, share plenty of laughs along the way.
Tune in for great insights, exciting rugby news, and the classic B-Side banter you love!