The final week of Friday Night Rugby features a doubleheader of Big Rivers conference semifinals from Chicago, as fourth-ranked Wheeling takes on No. 13 Iowa Central at 7 p.m. ET, followed by No. 7 Principia versus No. 12 Thomas More at 9 p.m. live on The Rugby Network. Friday’s winners will advance to the Big Rivers final November 9 at Brimelow Fields in Cincinnati, OH. 

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Defending conference champion Wheeling (3-1) comes into the weekend after consecutive weeks of rest, while injury-laden Iowa Central (5-4) has played twice as many games this fall and just survived a trying quarterfinal Saturday, nudging past Marian, 35-29.

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The Tritons led 28-17 with under 10 minutes to play before Marian scored a pair of tries in quick succession to take a 29-28 lead, the latter the result of an interception. ICCC got one more chance after a Marian penalty, and Takudzwa Musingwini cashed in, scoring from midfield off a huge individual effort to send the Tritons to Friday’s semifinal.   

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The Cardinals and Tritons haven’t clashed in XVs since 2022, with Wheeling winning by 12, and they share no common opponents this season. Principia (4-0) and Thomas More (4-2) have also not tangled this season, but they have one common opponent in Aquinas. 

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The Thunderchickens defeated the Aquinas, 22-7, October 19 in Grand Rapids, MI. And last week, Thomas More bested Aquinas, 36-21, in Crestview Hills, KY in the conference quarterfinals, while Principia enjoyed a bye. These two programs met in this exact same game last fall, with Principia winning, 15-11, in St. Charles, MO.

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The Thunderchickens are one of the few remaining undefeated teams in Division I, albeit having played just four games, scoring wins over Lindenwood, Iowa Central and Marian, in addition to Aquinas. Thomas More has played two more games this season, notching notable wins over Tennessee, Trine and Rio Grande. 

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Three junior backs tie for Principia’s season lead for tries; Andy Naringo, Celino Peterson and Damilolo Odununga. They, along with senior All-American flyhalf Damir Conci and junior No. 8 Fran Alessio, account for an outstanding core of upperclassmen who have raised the program’s profile significantly in their few years together in Elsah, IL. 

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Thomas More is led by a trio of captains in freshman flanker Malibongwe Mkosi, junior flyhalf Francisco Cuscuna, and scrumhalf Mohale Sekhwela, as well as senior All-American No. 8 Lorenzo Lelli. 

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Friday’s match ups don’t just have conference championship implications, but national playoff consequences, as well. The top two teams from the Big Rivers will advance to the Division I postseason, starting November 16.

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Stream these matches live for free on The Rugby Network, both streaming links available on the Friday Night Rugby Schedule.