There are two things with which the Penn State men's rugby team is primarily concerned this week as the team prepares to face Loyola University on the road this weekend and close up the first half of its season. First they want to keep the team intact and healthy.

As a result, although the regular starters are playing the game's opening minutes, by halftime one can expect that the Ruggers will start putting in players from the bench to improve the team's depth.

"We all know that once we start playing for the national championships and people start getting hurt, we are going to need that depth," Ruggers captain Tim Ryland said.

The second primary concern for the Ruggers is to have better execution.

"We are trying to do things sharper and better," Ruggers coach Don Ferrell said. He added that another reason he is starting the first 15 is so that they can work on building their chemistry.

Practice this week focused on the Ruggers basic skills, such as their ball handling and rucking. They said that now is the time to start getting tighter in those aspects as they prepare for a tough schedule in the spring.

The past two games have seen the Ruggers explode and outscore their opponents by a total of 135 points. Part of the reason for that explosion has been a more dominating presence from the forwards.

"I think that the forwards are doing an excellent job," Ryland said. He added that they have been getting out on the breaks, and creating and finishing off scoring opportunities.

The Ruggers said that Loyola would focus primarily on stopping their backline, which has been a strength so far, and try to make it a more forward-oriented game.

To counter this, the Ruggers have been working on their conditioning so that they can be the first to arrive at breakdowns and get quick balls out to the backs.

This season has been full of ups and downs for the Ruggers, but they said that as they look back, they have accomplished most of the goals that they set for themselves at the beginning of the season.

"Overall I am pleased," Ferrell said. "The team has come a long way and they are playing more as a team."

A win against Loyola would be a sweet end to this half of the season for the Ruggers and it would give them added confidence as they get ready for the most critical part of their full season.