The last time the Penn State men's rugby team took the pitch, more than three months ago, it defeated a strong Navy squad, 34-16.

Now, the Ruggers (8-1) have to scrimmage against the Philadelphia Whitemarsh RFC (1-7) tomorrow at 9 p.m. in Holuba Hall.

"We haven't played much recently," Ruggers coach Don Ferrell said, "but we think it will be a competitive match."

Philly Whitemarsh is a member of the Super League, which is the highest level of rugby teams in the union. Penn State is part of the collegiate division of the Mid-American Rugby Football Union (MARFU).

Even though Philly Whitemarsh's record is unflattering, its roster consists of players on a higher level than that of the Ruggers'. The club's membership in the Super League makes this match the rugby equivalent of an NFL team against a college team.

Although the Ruggers have done better against the teams on their own level and Philly Whitemarsh has not, the greater competition that the Super League team faces regularly gives them an advantage.

"We've been working hard for this match," Ferrell said, "but we do expect there to be a little bit of trouble."

Although the team does not have the same kind of talent as Philly Whitemarsh, Ferrell expects the match to be close.

"We're going to have to attack all over the field, and our breakdown of the match is going to be important," Ferrell said.

Ferrell also stressed the importance of ball security.

Philly Whitemarsh has three divisions of teams: a Super League squad, a MARFU Division II squad and a MARFU B-League squad. Ferrell expects that the group across the pitch on Saturday will consist of a mix of players from all divisions.

One of the players could be ex-Rugger Matt Wyatt, who now plays for Philly Whitemarsh's Super League team, and who played prop for Penn State from 1998-2001. He was named to the All-America team in 1999, 2000 and 2001.

Since this is a scrimmage, it will not affect the Ruggers in their quest for a national championship. It will likely be seen as an opportunity to get some of the rust off from their three months away from the pitch. A solid performance, though, could mean big things for the team in the long run.