April 13- Arizona kicks off their postseason on Saturday as they make the trek to Penn State for the first round of the 2018 D1A Playoffs. The 9th-ranked Wildcats will take on #6 Penn State with The Rugby Channel providing live coverage of the showdown in State College. Arizona has named a mostly unchanged side from their recent wins to end the season, with Fullback Kyle Rogers leading the side that looks to make another deep run this postseason.

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In the Forwards, Flanker Ben Scoular comes in to the starting side while the standout Lock duo of Sean Coleman and Bronson Teles continue one of the strongest partnerships in the country. "Those two have really helped lift the level of our Forwards this season, and we have a very deep bench to go to as well tactically that we haven't had in past" said Head Coach Sean Duffy.

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Rudy Scholz Award nominee Rogers is joined by his brother Matt in the Arizona backline where Ryan Hudson returns to the starting lineup. "Strong group, lots of ways to go about the job but really like the unheralded performances of guys like Ben Joseph this year, they are crucial to taking the next steps" said Duffy. The veteran backs come in well tested over the course of the year, having put in strong performances against teams domestically as well as in Argentina on their tour. 

 

Last season the Wildcats reached the program's first Final Four and will look to continue their rise after a strong season saw them finish second in the PAC Conference defeating fellow playoff teams SDSU, Cal Poly, and Grand Canyon University. Arizona takes on the Nittany Lions for the first time in recent years, with the Rugby East Champs playing the bulk of their season in Fall and defeating Army two weeks ago in a tuneup match before the playoffs. The winner of Saturday's match will take on the winner of BYU and Arkansas State as 16 of the nation's best are in action for what will be an exciting day of Rugby. The D1A Semifinals April 28 and Final May 5 will be televised on CBS Sports Network in the continued expansion of coverage for the nation's top league.

Link to Webcast

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Lineup vs PSU

1- Steven Branham

2- Zach Biggs

3- Karl Steffany

4- Sean Coleman (VC)

5- Bronson Teles

6- Sinclair Clinton

7- Ben Scoular

8- Tyler Hansen

9- Matt Rogers

10- Anton Grigoriou

11- Dante Weeks

12- Tom Molloy

13- Ben Joseph

14- Ryan Hudson

15- Kyle Rogers (C)

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16- Chris McBride

17- Chaz Huntsman

18- Cody Hunt

19- Zach Heisterkamp

20- Fabian Lumsden

21- Jonah Eldridge

22- Kyle Fulton

23- George Niethammer

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