The No. 1 team in the nation sure looked like it Saturday.

St. Bonaventure (3-0), ranked first in the latest National Collegiate Rugby Division I poll, throttled No. 8 Kutztown, 46-13, before a large crowd on SBU’s Family Weekend.

“This was a huge statement win for us. It was too close last week and we knew we were capable of a lot better,” said Coach Danny Neighbour, whose club edged Queens University on the final play of the match last Saturday. “We talked all week about patience and trust in our system. Today we really showed a much more controlled and complete performance.”

The Bonnies were in command from the start, leading 17-0 at the half on tries from Reynard Boshoff and Troy Heroldt, both from South Africa, and a penalty kick and a pair of try conversions from Chile’s Noah Edwards. The Heroldt score came off a brilliant pass on the right flank from Koen Webb, a freshman from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Daniel Lowther, another South African, scored early in the second half after a long run into scoring territory by Scotland’s Dara Falope to make it 22-0.

Kutztown threatened to make it a game when it cut the lead to 22-8 after a try and PK with 28 minutes still to play, but the Bonnies blew it open with tries from Heroldt, Sean Kull (Glendale, New York) and France’s Mehdi Merah, who carried a Kutztown player on his back all the way into the try zone from 22 yards out.

Edwards added another PK and three conversions in the second half.

“We dominated in the scrum and our lineout was on point. That gave us the platform to build our attack,” Neighbour said. “We made some position changes in the back line and I think it worked well. Everyone just looked more comfortable.”

Rhys Cunningham (South Africa) and Niku Otineru (El Cajun, California) were the Men of the Match.

In the morning, the Bonnies’ JV dominated Kutztown, 55-5. Davitt Barrett (Yonkers, New York) was the Man of the Match.

Neighbour credited assistant coaches John Powers and Cory Ratka for their “constant contribution to us getting better week in and week out.”

“It was so great to watch both teams score some lovely tries and play really good, unselfish rugby,” Neighbour said.

The Bonnies play at No. 3 Walsh next Saturday.

______________

About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #8 for value and #19 overall by U.S. News and World Report (2025).