St. Bonaventure University

Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame Coach Marv Levy often said before a game, “When it’s too tough for them, it’s just right for us.”

Spoken or not, Danny Neighbour’s St. Bonaventure rugby team took that attitude to the pitch right from the opening kickoff in its 44-17 win over Southern Nazarene on Sunday to advance to the National Collegiate Rugby Championship quarterfinals.

On a blustery, snowy, bitterly cold morning, the Bonnies (5-1-1) burst out to a 34-0 halftime lead over the visitors from Bethany, Oklahoma.

Man of the Match Troy Heroldt scored a pair of tries, while Noah Edwards, Dara Falope, Reynard Boshoff, Niku Otineru and Daniel Lowther each added a score for the Bonnies. Edwards added three conversions and a penalty kick.

Ranked No. 3 in the latest NCR Division I poll, the Bonnies will play No. 2 Brown (8-0) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Siena in one of four NCR quarterfinals.

“We talked all week about starting the game better and bringing more energy and the right attitude to the first 20 minutes. We did that today under very tough conditions,” said Coach Danny Neighbour.

“The lads played some really good defense and pounced on any mistake, turning them in to points to open things up. We had some really good phases of play, identifying where to aim our attack that led to a commanding lead at the half. Second half was tougher with a very strong wind in our face but we showed our grit defensively, holding off SNU time after time.”

Brown eliminated the Bonnies in the national semifinals a year ago. SBU did the same to Brown in 2023. Both matches were won on the final play of the game.

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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).