The Division I men’s national championship will be contested Saturday at SaberCats Stadium in Houston, TX by the two teams who’ve sat atop the rankings all year – No. 1 Queens and No. 2 Brown. The Royals and Bears traded the top spot through the fall, setting up a rematch of the 2022 final, won 21-5 by Brown. They haven’t met in XVs since two years ago on the same stage.
Queens (10-2) beat AIC, 37-19, in the quarterfinals and Wheeling, 33-22, in the semifinals to book a return trip to Houston. Brown (10-0) defeated Walsh, 23-15, in the quarterfinals and St. Bonaventure, 11-10, in the semifinals. The Royals entered the postseason as the top seed out of the Rugby East, and Brown as champions of the Liberty Conference.
Both teams still have remnants from the 2022 final. Brown fullback Raphael Lansonneur slotted a couple of penalties in that game, like he slotted the walk-off penalty to sink St. Bonaventure in the semifinals last week. Prop Henrique Gabriel, hooker Joe Al-Hasso and No. 8 Antonio Esteves were also prominent players on the 2022 national championships team.
All-American scrumhalf Hilton Olivier started for the Royals in the 2022 final, as did lock Haydon Johnson, who picked up a critical red card in that match for a dangerous tackle.
The star of the 2022 final, as it so often is, was Brown’s scrum. The set piece remains the Bears’ primary weapon, but this time around, they’ll have to account for Queens All-American prop Trevion Reed, who’s enjoying an outstanding junior campaign.
Another Royal the Bears haven’t faced yet is freshman phenom Zach Colson. A local product by way of Hough High School and the national champion Charlotte Cardinals, the son of a Kiwi grew up playing rugby in Hong Kong before relocating to North Carolina a handful of years ago. He pairs well with Olivier and gives the Royals a new dimension in attack.
Brown has also added weapons, perhaps none more impactful than centers Leo Clayburgh and Tito Edjua. When the Bears last played Queens, Edjua was playing schoolboy rugby in London, and Clayburgh was starring for Division II Norwich. Edjua is emerging as one of the brightest outside backs in college rugby in his sophomore season at Brown, having played for the USA U20s in the Junior World Trophy in Scotland over the summer.
Lining up in Edjua’s proximity will be Queens wing Everette Boyd, who’s enjoying a breakout season of his own. They could make for an electric footrace or two Saturday.
Charm Tuala is another key addition for Brown. The freshman scrumhalf from Auckland, NZ, headboy at De La Salle College, has made an instant impact for the Bears with both his service and kicking game.
Brown and Queens kick off at 6:15 p.m. CST. The match will be streamed live on The Rugby Network with at TRN+ Ticket.
