Put every game before this aside, the Sweet Sixteen is where the real season begins.

The Penn State men's rugby team will begin its quest for a National Championship tomorrow and Sunday, when they host two pools of Sweet Sixteen teams.

All games will be played at the Flower Garden Fields with the No. 3 Ruggers first facing Utah at 11.30 a.m. tomorrow.

Other teams that will be competing at the weekend are No. 2 Navy, Bowling Green, San Diego State, IUP, Wyoming and University of Connecticut.

A loss means elimination. The Ruggers understand this and this is why in practice this week there seemed to be a sense of urgency.

"We really want it and it showed in practice," No. 8. Jason Fisher said.

In practice the Ruggers added some new plays, worked on their ability to counterattack and their ball-handling skills.

"We focused on new run patterns," Penn State men's rugby coach Terry Ryland said, "to give us more opportunities to score tries."

One thing that the team has not done very well all season long is change its style of play to its opponents. By adding new run patterns, the Ruggers are hoping that this will enable them to be more effective regardless of their opponent.

Injuries have played a part in the Ruggers' performance this season. Two weeks ago at the Cherry Blossom tournament in Washington, D.C., the Ruggers lost flankers Brett Cowen indefinitely and Brett Ilgen for the rest of the tournament. Replacing Cowen for the tournament, after being injured earlier on in the season, is Mike Bowersox.

Bowersox has had some experience playing the flanker position but the Ruggers are not sure how match-ready he is.

Another player who is banged up for the Ruggers but might play during the weekend, depending on the game situation, is starting fullback Dominic Mara, who is returning from playing for Italy's U-19 team.

In the two big games the Ruggers have played this season, against Navy and Army, they lost by slim margins. But that does not seem to have affected the Ruggers' confidence.

"We have a better chance to make it to the Final Four than last year's team did," Ruggers captain Kirk Neubauer said.

The Ruggers also called the two losses "moral victories."

Scouting reports about Utah have informed the Ruggers that they will be competing against a bigger team physically and a well disciplined side.

To counteract the physical disadvantage the Ruggers have had all season, this weekend, barring injuries, the Ruggers will be putting out their biggest team physically of the season.

Utah's strength lies in the play of its forwards, who move around surprisingly well for their size.

The Ruggers forwards will have to up their level of play from their performance at the Cherry Blossom tournament, where they were sometimes the last to arrive at breakdowns.

"We can be a dangerous team if we play to our potential," Ryland said.

One thing that the Ruggers are not lacking is confidence.

"This year we have no superstars," Fisher said.

"We all do our assignments. Last year we had players who we would lean on."

One message Ryland had for the Ruggers was that they should have "80 minutes of commitment to each other."