The Penn State men's rugby team spent the break playing club teams from England, and their experiences both on and off the pitch will remain for the rest of the season.

The Ruggers said they became stronger in the end, learning a lot about themselves on their tour in the United Kingdom.

Admittedly, some Ruggers said they received a substantial amount of European discrimination last week.

"There were definite undertones that went into the games themselves," Penn State captain Auggie Manelick said. "We had to prove ourselves to them that we weren't just another American team."

Manelick said the Ruggers were not treated well by the Berkshire, Bracknell and Reading University clubs during their weeklong tour. Cardiff University, which the Ruggers were slated to play, did not even have them on its schedule. Penn State managed to scrape together a fill-in game against Reading, but the negative atmosphere remained.

The canceled match against Cardiff, one of the premier under-21 teams in Wales, made the Ruggers anxious to prove themselves on the field.

"We just wanted to play," Manelick said.

The Ruggers stepped up to the challenge put forth by their European counterparts. Against more talented teams, Penn State played competitively with all three squads, losing by more than a try to only Berkshire, its first opponent.

"Overall, I think we were happy with our level of play," Manelick said. "They were bittersweet losses, because we were so close to winning every time, but we improved greatly over the week."

Penn State's motivation came not only through the negative views of American rugby as a whole, but a sense of reassurance for its own good. Before the break against Kutztown, the Ruggers faltered early in the contest, making mental mistakes in addition to being physically dominated. The team hoped to fix these problems by facing tougher competition in England.

After a week of intense play and training in hostile territory, the Ruggers believe that these issues have been alleviated.

"By the end of the tour, I think we had a good idea of what we're capable of," Manelick said. "We learned a lot and I think we improved a lot as the games went on."

The team's goal during its spring break tour was to play well leading up to the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union (MARFU) Championships, which begins March 24 against Temple.

"We've traveled together, we've played a lot together," Manelick said. "This trip has really made us closer as a team."