The weather was ideal, with clear skies and temperatures in the low 70s, accompanied by a light wind, setting the stage for a high-stakes encounter. The teams traded penalty kicks early on with the score 3-3 after 10 minutes. Queens scored the first try in the 16th minute on a grubber kick that poked through the Brown defence and took a high bounce over the head of co-captain Raphael Lansonneur '25 as he tried to corral the ball, but dangerous Queens winger Everett Boyd recovered the kick and scored untouched. Queens' Rugby East all-conference scrumhalf Hilton Olivier added the conversion to give them a 10-3 lead. Lansonneur would add his second penalty kick of the match fifteen minutes later to narrow the deficit, 6-10. Minutes later, the dynamic Queens attack struck again on another kick and chase for a try, this time with Boyd kicking through and Olivier recovering for the score, extending the Queens lead to 15-6. Just before the end of the first half, Queens' #8 Chester Stanyon would be sent off with a yellow card after multiple infractions. Still, Brown failed to yield any more points in the first half, but before the card expired during the second half's opening minutes, Lansonneur slotted his third penalty kick of the match and pulled Brown back within one score, trailing 9-15.

In the fiftieth minute, the dynamic duo of Boyd and Olivier burned the Bears again as Boyd counter-attacked off a Brown kick and scorched up the sideline with Olivier in support who took a pass from Boyd in for Queens' third try. Brown now trailed by the match's largest deficit 9-20 with thirty minutes remaining. Soon, thanks to penalties against Queens, Brown was back in the attacking end of the field and threatening to score. In the 54th minute, with a scrum to Brown on the attacking 22-meter line, the powerful Brown pack known as the 'meat wagon' leveraged its considerable dominance to win back momentum for the Bears. Over three and a half minutes the Bears punished the Royals in four consecutive scrums, earning penalties at each encounter. Finally, the Brown attack played the ball away from the scrum and had Queens on the back foot defending their goal. Desperately attempting to prevent a Brown score, Queens committed another penalty and quick-thinking grad student Leo Clayburgh took a tap-and-go himself over the line for Brown's first try of the match. Lansonneur slotted the kick and put Brown within one score again, behind 16-20 with less than twenty minutes to play.

The Bears wouldn't have to wait so long for the next try. With the momentum surging in their favor, Brown's attack looked reenergized, and a long carry from team try-scoring leader Tito Edjua '27 put Brown back in the Queens end of the field. Taking a powerful lineout maul from the 22-meter line to near the goal line, the Brown pack won another penalty from Queens for collapsing the maul and opted for a 5-meter scrum. At the ensuing scrum, the 'meat wagon' were dominant again winning two consecutive scrum penalties and setting up co-captain Antonio Esteves '25 to pick and go from a ruck to get the ball over the try line, but Esteves knocked the ball on due to an illegal action from a Queens defender. Following a video review of the score, it was determined that penalty try would be awarded to Brown, and with that the Bears gained supremacy on the scoreboard, 23-20.

The remainder of the match was a showcase of Brown's stalwart defence as they stifled Queens' attack over many strong carries, not allowing them any late scoring opportunities. With time expired, freshmen front row replacement Erik Estienne '28 executed a clean choke tackle on an exhausted Queens ball carrier, bolstered by front row mates vice-captain Joe Al-Hasso '25 and Asa Rosenmeier '27, forcing Queens into a maul. Several other Brown defenders ran in to stop the maul and prevent Queens from playing the ball, forcing a turnover and ending the match.

Henrique Gabriel, who was pivotal throughout the match and especially critical in the Brown scrum winning ten penalties, was named the MVP of the match.

Co-captain Raphael Lansonneur remarked on the win, 'Pure passion and tenacity won us the game. The success we achieved this entire season is a result of the bond and love we’ve built within this team.' Similarly, co-captain Antonio Esteves highlighted the team's destiny for greatness, underscoring the perfect culmination of their season,

"This team seemed destined for greatness from the very start, and it was fitting that the season ended the way it did for us: 'The dice was loaded from the start'."

Head Coach David Laflamme praised the team’s resilience, "What a game! A dramatic ending to a season. The boys worked incredibly hard to get there. Our last three games really showed the team's fortitude. Other teams will know that, regardless of the score, no one can rest against us as we'll never give up.

We got unlucky in the first half with a couple of bounces that went in Queen's favor however we never let that rattle us. Even when we were down 20-9 we just stuck to the plan and chipped away at the scoreline to work our way into the lead. The last 10 minutes, with the lead in our hands, we knew we couldn't rest. Queens proved that point throwing everything they had at us. With no time left on the clock, we sealed their fate and secured the win by holding Queens up in the tackle.With that, the game was won.

I'm personally incredibly grateful for everyone that worked hard or supported this program to get to this point. We have a tremendous staff, alumni group, fan base and of course player group that all worked in chorus to make our vision a reality."

With this win, Brown Men’s Rugby solidifies an undefeated season record of 11-0 and looks forward to defending their Liberty Conference and Ivy League titles in the upcoming spring sevens season starting February 2025.