"If you want to be the best, then you have to play the best," Penn State men's rugby coach Don Ferrell said.
On the other hand, Trinity College boasts players who have played against top-flight international competition.
"[Penn State] will be facing an opponent that is more skilled and plays at a faster pace than anyone here in the U.S.," Ferrell said.
Trinity's coach said he expects the Ruggers to bring their best as well.
"I am expecting them to be physical and well-coached," Trinity coach Tony Smeeth said. He added that his team has been training three times daily and plans to practice twice on the day of the game as it prepares for its league season.
The Ruggers said Trinity will be strong at the forward positions and use the outside center to penetrate Penn State's defense. The Ruggers also talked about the physicality of the game and for that reason said they focused on fundamentals in practice.
"The only advice I can give is that we have to maintain our composure," Penn State fullback Dominic Mara said. "Good teams are patient when things are not going their way."
Smeeth said Trinity's game plan is quite similar to the Ruggers in that he plans to open things up in order to improve team speed.
"We have got a pretty good set of forwards and our backlines are skillful," Smeeth said.
Both teams are excited to be playing against what each said was the top team in the respective nations, and plan on showing it in their performances today.
"Right now, they are training their [butts] off because they are gagging to get on the field," Smeeth said.
For the Ruggers, a victory would be one of the most significant moments in their 42-year history.
