If the team at The College Rugby Show sat in a lab designing the perfect finale for this year’s Friday Night Rugby series, I don’t think we’d be able to come up with a better matchup than the one the universe has provided for us this week.
Two of the best college teams in the country, #1 St. Bonaventure and #3 Queens University of Charlotte, will meet under the lights in a conference championship match with historic implications. While both teams have already secured one of the five automatic bids to the NCR playoffs awarded to the Atlantic Rugby Conference, only one will forever be known as the first ever champion of the newly-formed super group.
Add in the fact that Queens and St. Bonaventure have already met once this season, in a game that came down to a score at the final whistle, and you have all the ingredients you need for an instant classic. That regular season matchup between these two juggernauts saw six lead changes and 26 combined points scored in the final ten minutes of the match. The Bonnies won that game at the death, 32-29, shocking a Queens team that had at one point held a 12 point lead on their home turf.
“We have that will and grit you need when you're not playing your best. You've got to get it from somewhere deep," St. Bonaventure’s head coach Danny Neighbour said after the Queens match. "This game was good for us to realize we have the will."
The Bonnies seem to have an unending reserve of that will and have not been shy about imposing it on their competition throughout the fall season, riding an unbeaten record all the way to Halloween weekend where a blended side of starters and reserves assembled by Neighbour fell to Penn State 45-38.
Their only other in-conference stumble, outside of the close contest against Queens, was a 25-25 draw with Walsh University in early October, the last game in a brutal four-game stretch against Conference foes. Even in that match the Bonnies displayed their signature grit, losing a first half lead after Walsh scored 18 points off penalty kicks but scoring a try with 2:35 seconds left in the match to avoid the loss. It makes them an even scarier opponent given the fact that they are capable of both running you off the pitch completely (i.e the team’s 50–25 drubbing of Wheeling two weeks ago) and grinding out tough wins when things aren’t exactly going their way.
The not-so-well-kept secret to the Bonnies late game success has been the depth of their roster. Dara Falope, a junior who played for Scotland’s U18 team has routinely come off the bench and made an impact late in games including an intercept try in their comeback win over Queens. Nick Doumbe and Mehdi Merah have also been solid contributors in critical moments in the back half of games.
That doesn’t mean, though, that St. Bonaventure’s starting lineups aren’t also stacked, especially the team’s South African contingent. Rhys Cunningham and Daniel Lowther have wreaked havoc as loose forwards, pairing up with experienced number 8 Nikulas Otineru to form one of the more dangerous back rows in the country. And Troy Heroldt has been a danger man on the wing all season.
The Bonnies also have a powerful front rower in Tanyaradzwa Takaendisa and a devastating force at inside center in Manulua Taula. Iowa Central Community College transfer Koen Webb has also been a welcome addition to the starting lineup, flashing some playmaking ability while also providing positional flexibility for Neighbour. Though he hasn’t gotten the same headlines as his former running mate Taku Musingwini, Webb has played well at fullback for the majority of the season and also filled in at flyhalf more than capably when called upon. The Bonnies regular flyhalf, Noah Edwards, was the man of the match against Queens the first time they played, after scoring 17 points including the game winning try.
But if you ask Queens, they’ll tell you they were only a couple bounces of the ball away from dethroning this juggernaut and that they’re confident in their ability to complete the mission next time the two are face to face. They’ll also tell you that the earlier loss was just their first conference game of the season. Since that loss, and a tie with Wheeling the following week, the Royals have been rolling with double digit wins over the remaining three teams in the conference.
In that span, Queens seem to have found their winning formula after some early-season lineup tinkering by first year head coach Tyree Reed. The dynamic and wonderfully-named Zach Colson has unlocked the offense after stepping into the 10 jersey beginning with the match against Wheeling. The Royals have playmakers at both flyhalf and scrumhalf, with their own South African star Hilton Olivier providing a spark with the ball in his hands and with his boot off the tee.
John Steel and Gideon Wessels have also settled in nicely as center mates, providing a prolific punch from the middle of the backline. And ever-lethal Everette Boyd has rounded into form on the wing, giving the Royals plenty of options outside along with Jack Rice and Tomas Mussi. Captain Roan Shawver has also slid from the front row to the back row, allowing him to show off a little more of his athleticism while also continuing to leave his stamp on a match with his trademark physicality.
Both of these teams have earned the right to play for the conference title this Friday, having passed through what is potentially the most grueling conference schedule in the country and come out the other side relatively unscathed. Both teams also know what it’s like to sweat, and strive, and finally reach the lofty heights of a championship match, only to fall just short of your goal and be forced to watch someone else hoist a trophy you had worked so hard to earn.
In 2023, St. Bonaventure watched as Notre Dame College celebrated a National Championship with Queens forced to do the same in 2024 after coming up short against Brown when it mattered most. The road to redemption for both of these teams starts on Friday night.
Start your weekend right by tuning into The College Rugby Show at 6PM EST for more college rugby news. Then switch over to National Collegiate Rugby’s YouTube for the matchup of the year.
