Ruggers to clash with JMU

By HIRAN RATNAYAKE
Collegian Staff Writer

The Penn State men's rugby team is following the old cliché -- it is focusing on winning one match at a time.

After advancing to the Final Four of the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union Tournament (MARFU) playoffs with an 83-0 whipping of Mary Washington last weekend, the Ruggers have turned their attention to James Madison.

The two teams will clash at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow at Princeton, the site of the regional Final Four.

Penn State is the No. 1 seed in the MARFU Conference, a ranking it earned by going undefeated throughout the fall season. The Ruggers are trying to win the first-ever championship since joining the MARFU Conference.

"This is what it all comes down to," junior prop Matt Wyatt said. "As long as we play hard and with a lot of intensity, we'll do fine."

Wyatt, plagued with a 102-degree temperature earlier in the week, scored two tries in the free for all against Mary Washington.

"We don't know too much about James Madison," Wyatt said, "so we're not going to take them lightly."

Virginia Tech and Navy are the other two teams competing in the semifinals. Penn State beat Navy 46-20 in the closing game of the fall season after having its share of struggles with the Midshipmen.

"Both Navy and Virginia Tech are going to be tough opponents," Penn State junior fullback Ken Burke said. "Virginia Tech has a couple backs that are extremely talented but Navy has a couple All-Americans as well."

Navy won the MARFU Championship last year, but the Ruggers know they have a strong chance of dethroning the defending champs.

"We're hoping Navy and Virginia Tech will beat up on each other," Burke said.

The top three teams from this weekend will advance to the first round of the National Championships, hosted by California Berkley. Incidentally, the field at Berkley is where the U.S. National Team plays. If Penn State advances to the first round, it will compete at Ohio State April 17-18. For now, the Ruggers will concentrate on the task at hand.

"Our team knows not to look ahead," Wyatt said. "But at the same time we know we can play with any team in the nation."