After their win against the South Pittsburgh Hooligans, the Denver Highlanders are advancing to the final four in the DIII USA Club Rugby XVs National Championships.

CBS Colorado caught up with Derek Smith and the rest of the team at practice this week as they prepare to face off against the Scottsdale Blues Saturday at Kuntz Stadium in Indianapolis.

“Once we won the championship for Rocky Mountain Rugby, I was like [exhale] ‘There’s a chance,’” said Smith. “I didn’t work this hard just to get second.”

He said there are a lot of great teams in Colorado, but the Highlanders’ mix of younger and more experienced players has been doing particularly well this season. Smith himself is a seasoned rugby player.

“I played football in high school. I played football at a small college,” said Smith. “But then I found the sport of rugby, [and] I’m like, ‘Oh, I can still hit people, and legally, and don’t have to play American football anymore? I can just play rugby? All I need’s a mouthpiece? That’s great!’”

There are a lot of reasons he loves the game. Smith said rugby combines the continuity of soccer with the contact of American football. American football and rugby have more in common than some might realize.

Smith explained, “So, historically, the reason it’s called a touchdown in football [is], in rugby, you have to touch the ball down to score a ‘try.’” A try is scored when the ball is grounded in the opposition’s in-goal area.

Another thing Smith loves is the respect the players have for each other.

He said, “The most respect, typically, [is given] to the referees. We don’t talk back. We say ‘thank you, yes sir, no sir,’ and that’s what I love about it. It’s the idea of respect for us and the other people playing the sport. Because we pay money to beat each other up.”

After certain infringements, or when the ball is unplayable, players will pack closely together with their heads down in what’s called a ‘scrum,’ attempting to gain possession of the ball. Smith said it’s important to have a good ‘sir’ to keep things safe.

“Sometimes the older guys that have been doing it a while, they try to get away with some stuff to be cheeky, if you will. So, you have to have a good ‘sir,’ or referee, that’s really kind of watching that scrum to make sure we keep it up and they keep it safe,” he said.

“And the scrum. They call it the ‘dark arts.’ It’s one big man hug. So, those guys in the front, the ‘props,’ they’re just trying to push each other back straight,” Smith explained.

Smith said this may be his last year, and he’s been training hard.

“I’ve been training for this, you know, working out in my classroom as a school teacher, and the kids think I’m crazy. I guess I am a little bit,” he said with a laugh. “Forty-two years old, two small kids, this is my last go full-time, so I’d love to go out on top.”

Saturday’s game starts at 8:30 a.m. MST and will stream live on the Mid-America Rugby Union YouTube channel. The winner of Saturday’s match-up will face the winner of the game between the Columbia Rhinos and the Rocky Gorge on Sunday.