Winning a national championship is every team’s goal. For a club team, winning a Division I national championship seems more like a dream. The men’s rugby team (11-0) has now done it twice in three years.
Capping off an undefeated season, the Bears claimed the D1 National Collegiate Rugby Championship title on Dec. 14, ending their 2024 campaign in glorious fashion. In a repeat matchup of the 2022 championship game — which fell 21-5 in Brown’s favor — the Bears took on Queens University of Charlotte (10-3). Displaying tremendous resilience, the Bears overcame a 20-9 deficit, putting up 14 unanswered points to clinch the national title 23-20.
“Winning wasn’t just about the title,” co-captain Antonio Esteves ’25 wrote in a message to The Herald. “It was about everything we’d worked for together, every practice, every challenge, and every moment we lifted each other up. It’s a memory I’ll always carry, not just for the victory, but for the way we came together when it mattered most.”
By the time the final whistle blew, the Bears not only took the national crown, but punctuated one of the most dominant seasons in program history. With eight straight regular season victories, Brown surged to the top of the Division I Liberty Rugby Conference. Spearheaded by Bruno’s ruthless offensive performances throughout the regular season, it was not even a close battle. Racking up 535 points while allowing only 72, the Bears finished the season with a point differential of 463, over 250 points higher than the second place finisher.
Brown clinched the Ivy League title as well, steamrolling Dartmouth 40-14 during parents’ weekend in late October. Yet, while the Bears put together a masterful season on the green, their path to the center of the national stage was also shaped outside the rugby pitch.
“Our strongest asset as a team was how close-knit we were both on and off the field,” co-captain Raphael Lansonneur ’25 wrote in a message to The Herald. “We’re not just a group of guys who show up for training sessions and games, we genuinely spend a lot of time together outside of rugby, and that bond has been the most important part of our success.”
To win games, you need talent; To win championships, you need trust and support, which the Bears built their season around. Lansonneur explained that the team instituted a buddy system, pairing incoming first-years and new graduate students with veterans in order to ease their transition onto the team. Additionally, the team held group meetings every two weeks in which they broached topics that are sometimes difficult to talk about, such as anxiety and mental health.
“Having players open up about their own vulnerabilities created a space where everyone felt more comfortable sharing,” Lansonneur wrote. “It showed that we’re all in this together, and it built a level of trust that translated directly to our performance on the field.”
“There’s more to sport than just winning,” Head Coach David Laflamme wrote in a message to The Herald. “For me, winning is the byproduct to the culture that we create.”
The Bears’ success brought them to the D1 National Collegiate Rugby Championship quarterfinals. Standing in their way was Walsh University (4-6), the team that won it all in 2023 and was slated to run it back during preseason polls. Maintaining a 15-11 lead until the final ten minutes of the contest, Walsh played up to its reputation. But the Bears had a championship final to reach, and following a Marco Lapierre ’28 try in the 71st minute and a penalty try with two minutes to go, Brown completed the comeback 23-15 and marched to the semifinals.
When “we found ourselves trailing in the second half, it could have been a breaking point,” Esteves recounted, “but our preparation, chemistry, and trust in each other gave us the confidence to stay composed.”
But the Bears’ season almost came crashing down during the semifinal matchup against St. Bonaventure in December (6-4). Despite a hard-fought first half, in which Brown recorded a penalty kick and a try, Bruno trailed by two points when regulation time concluded. Yet even when the clock read 80:00, the Bears did not give up.
Lansonneur explained that the team, regardless of circumstance, had to “keep working until the final whistle.”
“Even when we were down 8-10 … we stuck to that mindset. Everyone stepped up (and) outworked Bonnies’ strong defense,” he concluded. “That resilience and tenacity was key.”
When the whistle finally blew, it was not to end the game, but to call a foul on St. Bonaventure. A minute and 30 seconds into stoppage time, with the weight of an entire season on his back, Lansonneur set up to shoot a potentially game-winning penalty kick. As the entire team looked on, the ball sailed clear through the uprights. Against all odds, the Bears won the game 11-10, defeating St. Bonaventure and claiming a spot in the finals.
Months of work, determination and grit all came down to one final game; 80 minutes against Queens University of Charlotte to declare who would reign supreme in college rugby.
When the game began, Brown struck first. Seven minutes into the contest, Lansonneur successfully converted a penalty kick from 35 yards out to put the Bears up 3-0. But it only took the Royals three minutes to answer, and after a successful penalty kick from Hilton Olivier evened the score, a try by Everett Boyd propelled Queens to an early 10-3 lead.
Though the Bears battled back, each of their scores was met by points for Queens, as well. Lansonneur converted a second penalty kick in the 30th minute, but mere minutes later, Queens scored a try of their own, claiming a 15-6 lead they would maintain into halftime. And when Lansonneur scored a third penalty kick in the 44th minute, Queens answered with yet another score to pull away 20-9.
Down by 11 points and with 22 minutes to go, the Bears rallied. Spearheaded by dominating scrums, Bruno marched down the field. Rushing in from the right flank, center Leo Clayburgh GS dove for the tryzone, bulldozing past two Queens defenders to collect the try. Following a successful conversion by Lansonneur, the Bears found themselves in a one-score game, now down 20-16.
Only four minutes later, the Bears were back in Queens’ territory. With the ball in hand, Esteves lunged for the tryline. While attempting to bring Esteves down, the Royals received a penalty for an illegal tackle that resulted in a Brown penalty try and seven automatic points. In just five minutes, Bruno flipped the script, turning an 11-point deficit into a three-point lead and a national title.
“Hearing that final whistle after the championship game was the culmination of everything we’d been through together this year,” Esteves recalled. “I’ve never been part of a team so aligned and united toward one goal. From the beginning, we believed deep down that we could win it all, and because of that belief and trust in each other, we did.”
“With the success we’ve achieved over the recent years, it’s easy for people to forget that we’re still a club sport,” Lansonneur said. “Once we reach the playoffs, we’re competing against well-established varsity programs that offer scholarships and have dedicated recruitment spots.”
“At the end of the day, we’re just a group of guys who got into Brown on our own merit and happen to love rugby,” he added. “I think this really shows the importance of the culture and camaraderie that we’ve fostered. … It's something we’re all incredibly proud of.”
Editor’s Note: The corresponding photo for this article has been updated after initial publication.
Lydell Dyer is a sports editor for The Herald. A junior hailing from Bonn, Germany, Lydell is studying nonfiction English and political science, and if he's not off "making words sound pretty," you can find him lifting heavy circles at the Nelson.
