SCRC Digest

by Ted Hardy

Another week of SCRC rugby is in the books and another weekend of action is nearly upon us. There was plenty to enjoy last weekend as South Carolina and LSU battled away and caught national attention. Just as important, in many other ways, were two of the other games played. Florida narrowly defeated Vanderbilt 21-15. A result that would have been unheard of just a couple short years ago, Vanderbilt is making slow and steady progress which can only be a great thing for the SCRC as more parity is needed. Kentucky also picked up another win as the defeated Mississippi State. Kentucky is another program that has benefited massively from the creation of the SCRC and the excitement that the competition has built.

SCRC Week 4 Players of the Week

East Division

The East Division Player of the Week is Gary Davidson a Sophomore scrumhalf for the University of Kentucky. Davidson, originially from Peterborough, England, scored 15 points on one try and five conversions as the Wildcats improved to 2-1 in SCRC play. Davidson was instrumental in guiding the offensive attack and was always out in front leading the way for his team. Davidson is the first Kentucky player to receive Player of the Week honors.

West Division

The West Division Player of the Week is Josh Ely, a Senior prop from Mississippi State University. Despite being on the losing side of the equation, Ely put in a massive effort starting the game at loosehead prop before moving to flanker in the second half. Ely scored a try and showed leadership and heart as Mississippi State played down a man for most of the second half.

SCRC Coaches Corner

With two wins already this season, the University of Kentucky has not only doubled their total from last season, they have also exceeded many expectations. With plans in place to build the program, Kentucky appears headed in the right direction. We got some time with Kentucky Assistant Coach Vince Gross to get his thoughts on the Wildcats season and where they are headed.

On UK's early season success:

The players are most certainly excited to get some wins early in the season they have been working hard for a year and they are getting to see some of the fruits of their labor. The coaching staff is a bit more tempered in their excitement. It has been nice to see some success but we haven’t beaten a team we were not supposed to yet.

Organization and creating a competitive environment has done wonders for our team. Thanks in large part to our alumni we have been able to raise enough funds to treat our players like varsity athletes, and in turn we started getting a varsity effort out of our players. Because the support structure around our players is strong it allows them more time to get their studies in line, do the strength and conditioning and watch more tape. The players have done their part and taken advantage of those opportunities and have even begun to do more than what has been asked of them. A large thanks goes out to last year’s team, many of who were not on the field for our first victory, they set the standard for hard work in the face of adversity.

 On finishing SCRC play with three tough opponents:

The next month is going to be exciting for our team. You don’t get better by playing teams you are supposed to beat. UT and USC are going to be great building blocks for our guys we may not come away with victories but we will come away with a game film that you can watch and learn from, their structure will help us develop ours. Our team does not have an effort problem so we will get a good gauge of where we are and where we want to be in three to five years. The Vandy game is going to be the game in which we measure our season. It will be a great final test to see where we stand going into next season.

 On building for the future:

We are in year two of a five year plan to set our roots in the Division I landscape. We will continue to grow a strong support group around our players, we have begun a more extensive recruiting program our strength and conditioning program is just getting off the ground so we just have to keep our efforts moving forward and setting the bar a little higher each year. Most of the students that come out now want to work hard and be successful it is our responsibility as an organization to make those opportunities available.


SCRC Week 5 Preview

Auburn (0-2) at Georgia (0-3) - After this weekend there should be one less winless team in the SCRC. Both teams have struggled so far this season, but none as much as Georgia who have been outscored 169-8 this season. The team has taken some mighty lumps, but has an excellent opportunity to face an evenly matched opponent. Auburn came into the season hoping to make some noise, this will be their chance to get the monkey off their back and get their season going in the right direction.

Kentucky (2-1) at Tennessee (2-0) - Fresh off pounding Georgia, Tennessee is at home to host Kentucky. Kentucky comes in with two wins in three games and knows that they face an uphill battle against a more seasoned Vols side. Tennessee should put up some big numbers, but it should serve as valuable experience for an ever-improving Kentucky team.

LSU (2-1) at Mississippi State (0-3) - Mississippi State is off to a rough start and this weekend they will take on a LSU side looking to get the taste of defeat out of their mouth's. Despite their loss last weekend, LSU is still the team to beat in the SCRC West Division. Mississippi State is giving up an average of 41 points per game. Expect LSU to bounce back strong and continue Mississippi State's woes.

Ole Miss (2-1) at Alabama (1-1) - This is the game of the weekend in the SCRC. This is an absolute must-win game for both teams. The winner gets the inside track on reaching the SCRC playoffs. The loser is on the outside looking in. Alabama has had a few weeks off from conference play and should be fresh. Ole Miss is looking to bounce back from a home loss to Vanderbilt in Week 3. Alabama has had the upper hand in recent years. Can they keep it going?

SCRC Standings

East Division
Team	W	L	T	PF	PA	DIFF
South Carolina	4	0	0	164	70	+94
Tennessee	2	0	0	139	29	+110
Kentucky	2	1	0	67	87	-20
Florida	2	2	0	148	99	+49
Vanderbilt	1	2	0	58	82	-24
Georgia	0	3	0	8	169	-161
West Division
Team	W	L	T	PF	PA	DIFF
Louisiana State	2	1	0	104	45	+59
Ole Miss	2	1	0	77	44	+33
Alabama	1	1	0	58	49	+9
Auburn	0	2	0	22	77	-55
Mississippi State	0	3	0	29	123	-94