By Bryant Pugmire

The BYU rugby team will play its most important match of the season on Saturday when it takes on Utah at 1 p.m. at South Field.

The winner of Saturday’s game will claim the Wasatch Cup and have an automatic bid to the national championship tournament.

In the current Wasatch Cup rankings, the Cougars are No. 2, with a 7-1 record. The Utes are ranked No. 5, according to

“Rugby Magazine,” with a 13-1 record overall.

BYU has won the Wasatch Cup five of the past six years, with four consecutive wins since 2006. In 2009, the Cougars beat the Utes 59-15.

Both coaches have been preparing for this game all season and understand the importance of Saturday’s game.

“The Wasatch Cup is extremely important to our program,” said Utah head coach Blake Burdette in a news release. “Annually this game gives us an opportunity to test ourselves against one of the top programs in the country and see where we measure up.”

BYU coach David Smyth is also aware of the importance of the match.

“Our first goal of the season is to win the Wasatch Cup,” Smyth said. “How we judge our season is through this game. It is really good preparation for the playoffs.”

Both teams are also aware of the rivalry between the two schools and know that emotions will need to be controlled.

“I believe this is the best rivalry in college rugby,” Burdette said. “It’s such a unique rivalry because a lot of these athletes know each other. They have grown up together and played together, so there is a lot of pride trying to best the guy across from you.”

Smyth said he won’t have to do much to pump up his team. He said he thinks his team will be prepared to play against Utah and will be “chomping at the bit” for the game to start.

Utah is coming off a major victory against the University of Wyoming, winning 67-7. The Utes’ only loss  this season came against a top Canadian school, the University of Victoria, 38-22.

When Smyth was asked about what he expected from his team in Saturday’s match, his answer was simple.

“A win,” he said. “This game is all about winning.”

The game will be broadcast on BYU TV.