Tradition walked onto East Campus Fields yesterday at 6 p.m. in the form of Ireland's Trinity College and beat the Penn State men's rugby team 74-10 in its first match against an American team.

The 150 year-old club demonstrated its skill and speed throughout the match but provided the Penn State squad with an example of what kind of team it would like to become.

Heading into the half, the Ruggers trailed 45-3, a score indicative of the two teams' different level of play.

"We were shell-shocked," said Penn State coach Don Ferrell, who compared the difference to the Penn State football team playing in the NFL. "We got caught in the 'wow'."

One of Penn State's goals was to put pressure on Trinity.

"[We were] hoping to force them to make mistakes," Penn State assistant head coach Terry Ryland said.

Trinity posted several scores within the first 20 minutes, and only allowed the Ruggers to score on a long penalty kick by senior fullback Dominic Mara.

Having put points on the board, Penn State made a second-half adjustment to Trinity's style of play.

"We played hard for the full 80 minutes," Ferrell said. "Guys kept playing and got better as the game went on."

The field seemed to no longer tip toward Trinity's side of the field as the Ruggers spent more time on the offensive and eventually broke through for a score.

Junior captain Tim Ryland sprinted for a try with mere minutes remaining, prompting raucous cheers from home team fans.

"Just to get something up against them was good," Ryland said. "Dom's kick was a tremendous kick...this was a huge step forward."

"Penn State lifted their game," Trinity coach Tony Smeeth said. "They improved and adjusted to the speed."

One question for Penn State is how much it can carry over the game's momentum once Trinity has gone back to Ireland.

"I think we're right on course [with] where we need to be," Ferrell said after the match. "I think we can play a style like them."

Ryland echoed his coach, saying that Penn State could "learn from their game style."

Trinity's style of play involved quick, efficient ball movement. Several times during the game crowd members were surprised at how quickly Trinity was able to find the ball and take it downfield.

Smeeth attributes this apparent mismatch to experience with the game and the speed of the league in which Trinity plays.

"We grew up with the game," Smeeth said.

Ferrell conceded that Trinity was the best, but that Penn State wanted "to be affiliated with them in any way."

Any mismatch in skill was overshadowed by the want to play rugby, according to both coaches.

"[Our] guys were gagging for a game," Smeeth said.

"If you're an athlete, you want to play the best," Ferrell said before the game. "So that's the aspect they're excited about."