Fueled by the disappointment of a heart-wrenching loss last December and bolstered by their success in spring 7s, the men’s rugby team at St. Bonaventure heads into the fall season with a “quiet confidence” that they’ll be able to take the final step to win another national title.

The Bonnies open play at home at 9 a.m. Saturday in a non-league round-robin vs. the University of Mary Washington and the University of Guelph; the games will be 40 minutes long. The JV squads of each school will play a round-robin starting at 5 p.m. today.

“There’s a bit of a different feel this year and I don’t think it’s cockiness,” said Danny Neighbour, the Bonnies second-year head coach. “I just think they have a quiet confidence that we can springboard from last year’s great efforts.”

The Bonnies fell to eventual national champion Brown, 11-10, in the final four of the National Collegiate Rugby 15s Championship in December, losing at the final horn on a penalty kick — the exact same way they beat Brown in the final four in 2023.

“A loss like that is always there, but even had we won, this is still a new season, with 15 to 20 new players, so it’s a different look and feel every year,” Neighbour said. “The faces change, the vibes change so my big focus as a coach is to protect our culture and make sure that the new guys coming in follow our standards and we get on the same page as quickly as possible.”

Billy Koina, Matheo Lorenzato and Sy Mendenhall all graduated in December, leaving the Bonnies without three of their best players for the spring 7s season. But the losses didn’t stop the Bonnies from reaching the title game of the Collegiate Rugby Championship National 7s.

“I think we were a bit of a shocker because most people didn’t expect us to go far at all,” Neighbour said.

The Bonnies do return their two 2024 All-Americans, Manu Taula and Maseah Young, and have added a talented collection of newcomers, including Iowa Central transfer Koen Webb, who led the Tritons to the CRC 7s semifinals in 2024.

“Koen is a seasoned vet who we’re hoping in the No. 10 shirt (fly-half) will have a big impact on our attack,” Neighbour said. “And we have a lot of guys knocking on the door threatening to make a name for themselves. The guys feel that and you can see they are really competing for positions.”

Jacob Papesh from Cleveland powerhouse St. Ignatius and Connor Gerasimo from South Africa are among the new additions.

“We recruited a nice mix of USA and international players,” said Neighbour, who believes the physical shape of his club will reap benefits during the season.

“Overall, we’re the fittest that I can remember coming in to camp. That might be our biggest strength,” Neighbour said. “The boys really tested well across the board. It’s a testament to their buy-in to the program, and also to Greg Gustin, our strength and conditioning coach.”

The Bonnies play at Marian (Ind.) University Sept. 6 in another non-league friendly before opening league play against Belmont Abbey at home on Sept. 13, the day the rugby program celebrates its 50^th anniversary with the induction of the 11-member inaugural class to the Rugby Hall of Fame in Reilly Center.

“We’ve got threats all over the field, not just a good pack,” Neighbour said. “We’ve got really good backs, too, a good attack, and really good IQ.”

The Bonnies, who beat Penn State to win the NCR 15s title in 2021, will be playing in a new league this fall, the Atlantic Rugby Conference.

The league will be home to six highly competitive, school-supported programs, including five teams from Rugby East and Wheeling, which transitions from the Big Rivers Conference. The other four founding members of the ARC are Belmont Abbey, Kutztown University, Queens University and Walsh University. The ARC will be a member of NCR.

“The competition level sure isn’t dropping, but it’s nice to get to meet some fresh teams. It will be good for our development,” Neighbour said.

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