Two teams will book their trip to Houston for the national championship game Saturday, as the Men’s Division I semifinals are contested at Penn State University - Berks in Reading. Brown and St. Bonaventure meet in the first game at 1 p.m. ET, followed by Queens vs. Wheeling at 5 p.m., with the winners advancing to the final Dec. 14 at SaberCats Stadium.
The opener is a battle of recent national champions, the Bonnies winning in 2021 and Bears in 2022. It’s also the third-straight semifinal between the two, with the Bonnies winning by a conversion last year, 15-13, before falling to Notre Dame College in Houston. They tangled in the 2022 semifinals as well, with Brown winning by a lone try, 14-9.
Brown’s Rafael Lansonneur has moved from flyhalf to fullback this season, but he’s still making a huge impact with his deft kicking and heady game management, slotting two crucial penalties in the 23-15 quarterfinal win over Walsh.
He’s been supplanted at flyhalf by Isaac Frost, a grad student from Manchester, England, who has plenty of weapons to choose from in the backline, like the deadly center pairing of Norwich grad transfer Leo Clayburgh and the mercurial Tito Edjua. Up front, the Portuguese pair of Henrique Gabriel and two-time All-American No. 8 Antonio Esteves is a mainstay.
St. Bonaventure is in its second season under head coach Danny Neighbour, defeating Thomas More, 30-24, to advance to the semifinals. The Bonnies left 12 points off the board in missed conversions that game, failing to add points to any of their six tries.
Center Manu Taulua is an All-Rugby East second-team selection and a hard charger. Sophomore second row Maseah Young is a young talent, and senior scumhalf Matheo Lorenzato adds some skilled and savvy experience, having cut his teeth playing in France.
Queens and Wheeling haven’t met in the playoffs before, but they did play early-season friendlies in 2023 and 2022, with the Royals winning on both occasions. Queens has lifted a trophy before, winning the DII national championship in 2019. Wheeling is seeking the program’s first-ever 15s national title, fresh off winning a 7s championship last spring.
The Royals are driven by scrumhalf Hilton Olivier, who pairs well with flyhalf Zach Colson. Wing Everette Boyd is a livewire and home run threat. And Prop Trevion Reed is a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the ball, showing up several times in Queens’ suffocating goal line defense in the 37-19 quarterfinal win over American International College.
Wheeling’s headliner is capped Zimbabwean flanker Aaron Juma, but it was Panashe Mugogrodi scoring four tries in the 58-24 quarterfinal win at Notre Dame. The Cardinals had to earn their way to the quarters, beating Kutztown, 34-28, in a play-in game.
The semifinals, along with the December 14 national championship game, will be streamed live on The Rugby Network with a TRN+ Ticket.
