The Penn State men's rugby team has made an appearance in the national tournament for seven consecutive seasons.

This weekend, the only thing standing in the way of its eighth straight trip is the University of Virginia.

Playoff implications will be on the line when the No. 4 Ruggers face the Cavaliers in the second round of the Mid Atlantic Rugby Football Union (MARFU) tournament, tomorrow afternoon in Richmond, Va.

If Penn State -- the tournament's No. 1 seed and defending champion -- wins, it will clinch one of 16 available spots in the upcoming national tournament. An unlikely loss, however, will end the squad's season. It's as simple as that.

"At this point, every game is a must-win," centre and team captain Tim Ryland said. "We are focused on improving to get to where we need to be for the national championships, but we are not overlooking the fact that we need to take it one game at a time."

Since 1989, the Ruggers have not qualified for the national tournament on only two occasions. To keep that the same, they will need to limit their errors and continue to play suffocating defense.

In Saturday's first-round victory over Princeton, numerous penalties and uncharacteristic mistakes in the opening minutes of the first half cost Penn State time of possession and field position.

Had the Ruggers' stifling defense not made several key stands deep in their own territory, the outcome may have swung in the Tigers' favor.

"We really need to cut down on our own mistakes, use our heads, and start playing with discipline," Ruggers head coach Don Ferrell said. "Our success is predicated off of our defense. When we complete our tackles and capitalize on our opponent's mistakes, our offense benefits."

If Penn State can survive Virginia's upset bid, it will advance to Sunday's MARFU championship game for the third time in four seasons.

With a win tomorrow, the Ruggers would meet the winner of Navy vs. Kutztown. And for the first time in a long time, they will be rooting for their rival.

"We are not looking past Virginia this weekend," inside centre Fabian Roche said. "But we want to play Navy."

Last season, this rivalry was strengthened when Penn State handed the Midshipmen a 14-point loss in Happy Valley.

Expect some fireworks if the two squads meet this weekend, especially with a regional title and a higher seed in the national tournament up for grabs.

"We have quite a rivalry with Navy and, honestly, we just want to beat them," Ryland said. "The seeding is a consolation and will give us a confidence boost going in to the tournament, but we want to beat them."