The Most Exciting Sport is Right in Your Backyard

We may be in the middle of winter, but every time we get a “fool’s spring,” I can’t help but think of the most exciting sport in the world. A sport that you probably don’t know about! We’ve all seen the meme, that Iowa has winter, and multiple fake springs and a mud season, but the season I’m most excited for is Rugby 7s Season. Rugby 7s is a modified version of rugby where instead of 15 players per team on the field, it’s 7 vs 7 with seven minute halves, a one minute halftime, and multiple matches per tournament. This high speed, high action sport is often a fan favorite but can be difficult for people to find.

That’s where I come in, your guide to introduce you to rugby 7s at the high school level in Iowa! The Iowa Youth Rugby Association (IAYRA) had their first boys’ season in 2010 and their first girls’ season in 2013. The sport started in the Des Moines Metro and has found its way all across the state. The boys’ season this year is set to start on March 31st, 2023, while the girls season will start back up in the fall of 2023.

The easiest way to explain rugby 7s to someone who is brand new to the sport, is that the offense is like the triple option from football but with 7 people and no blocking, also think of at the end of a football game when teams are lateralling the ball as time has expired trying to score a desperation touchdown. Defense is like a big game of Red Rover, the school yard game where you stand in a flat line and you do not let the other team break your line! Fast paced, hard hits, and college opportunities for these high school kids!

Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa offers scholarships to their student-athletes for rugby as they compete in the Division 1A competition for rugby. The University of Northern Iowa, Iowa State University, University of Iowa, Central College also offer college rugby as a club but no scholarships yet these clubs all compete at a national level. Loaded with talented athletes from Iowa, UNI has competed for national championships for 15s and 7s, Iowa State has competed at nationals, and Iowa has competed at 7s nationals.

Back to the boys’ high school season that is starting soon! Last year’s 2A state champion was Waverly Shell-Rock and the 1A champion was Waterloo Columbus. 1A schools include Waterloo Columbus, Bondurant-Farrar, Central Springs, Crestwood, Denver, and Norwalk. 2A schools include Waverly Shell-Rock, Ankeny, Urbandale, Southeast Polk, Cedar Rapids Washington, Fort Dodge, Cedar Falls, Des Moines Lincoln, West Des Moines Valley, Iowa City, Des Moines Roosevelt, and Des Moines East.

The IAYRA is the governing body for high school rugby in Iowa because it is not a varsity sport. The admin, coaches, referees are all volunteers who love this game and want to share their passion with the next generation of rugby kids. The league is always looking to grow for boys and girls while also expanding into new areas. With the growth of girls’ wrestling in Iowa, don’t be surprised to find schools who add rugby that have girls’ wrestling. As for the boys’ side, rugby is a great opportunity for kids to work on skills that compliment their football game, crossover tackling skills to wrestling, agility skills that crossover to basketball, a great cardio workout, and a team bond like no other.

As for spectators, even if you do not have a student athlete at one of these schools, I encourage to check out this sport. The United States is going to be host to the Rugby World Cup in 2031 and 2033. Colleges are offering scholarships to kids and there are professional leagues that are growing domestically. It is a fast paced, action packed sport that is easy to follow and even easier to get excited about from the stands! Matches last 15 minutes, then your on to another match, then another, and another!

As the IAYRA looks to start another season, this looks to be the most competitive season yet, as Waverly Shell-Rock looks to defend their state title. Ankeny lost a heartbreaker in the final last year and are ready to battle back for another opportunity. Southeast Polk found themselves not in the state championship for the first time in 9 years, expect them to fight their way back into the mix. West Des Moines Valley was in a rebuilding year last year, finishing 4-6 but this offseason they picked up many new athletes/football players ready to give rugby a try and look to be a dark horse this spring.

For more information on this league check out www.iayra.org or search Iowa Youth Rugby Association on social media. Or check out the B-Side Bois: An Iowa Rugby Podcast on Spotify and Apple Music for weekly updates.

Thank you for reading my piece on the Chicago Bears. You can follow me on twitter at @GrayEducation where I share my thoughts on the Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs, Rugby, College Football, Professional Wrestling, Public Education, and Humor. I also host the B-Side Bois: An Iowa Rugby Podcast on Spotify and Apple Music.