ELLENSBURG, Wash. - The Central Washington University men's rugby team is set to face off against the reigning national champion St. Mary's Gaels in the second round of D1A national championship playoffs. The Wildcats are coming off an impressive victory against #6 BYU, 53-26, in which they displayed a focused collective effort throughout the match.
 
FIXTURE INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, April 12^th
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. PST
Opponent: #2 St. Mary's
Location: St. Mary's Stadium | Moraga, California.
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QUOTING HEAD COACH TODD THORNLEY
"We are grateful to have another week together and build off of a solid 60-minute performance we had on Saturday. St. Mary's are the defending national champions for a reason, but we walk towards that challenge as a unit and look forward to taking them on in all areas of the game. We have the utmost respect for them and will reflect that in having a great week of prep to give ourselves the best chance in causing an upset."
 
ABOUT THE FIXTURE
The Wildcats come into this game following a statement victory against BYU. They will look to keep the momentum high and defeat the defending national champions. This will be their second meeting of the season, with the first match ending in a 33-13 victory for the Gaels. In that game, Oscar Treacy scored two tries, but the 'Cats defense couldn't withstand the pressure.

The Gaels come into this fixture following a 24-17 victory against UCLA in the first round of the playoffs. After a strong 24-0 start, the offense for SMU could not score more points, allowing the Bruins to inch back into the match.

In their all-time matchups, St. Mary's holds a 6-1 advantage over the 'Cats, with the lone victory coming on February 11^th, 2023, in Moraga, 29-26.