Rugby in the South owes a great deal to the University of Tennessee, which carried the banner when many other colleges and clubs were barely hanging on.

And now that the South, from New Orleans to Jonesboro, Ark., to Marietta, Ga. to Orlando, Fla. to Columbia, SC is producing strong club and college teams, Tennessee still manages to be right in the mix. UT is 4-0 in the SCRC - the conference of teams from the SEC - and looks to keep going with a Friday-night game in Knoxville against Kentucky.

Head Coach Marty Bradley says that won’t be an easy game. Kentucky have been quite competitive and sit 2-2 in the SCRC at present.

“I am impressed with them,” Bradley said of Kentucky. “They are a good team and do a lot of things very well.”

It would be a mistake, said Bradley, to start worrying about the November 8 match with fellow undefeated team South Carolina.

“We’re not good enough to look too far ahead,” said Bradley. “We’re getting better, but everything we’re doing right now is designed to minimize Kentucky’s strengths and take advantage of the few weaknesses they might have.”

UTK is coming together nicely, though. Players have come back from injury and other issues that kept them sidelines, and with a strong, unified forward pack they have been able to dominate possession a bit more.

“We have good depth,” said Bradley. “We have good players who can’t make the game-day A-side squad, and that’s a shame but it’s a good problem for a coach to have.”

Senior flanker Ryan Roper, who is out of the Siegel HS program, is the team’s leader, along with fullback Lee Bogitsh out of Hillsboro.

They are the experienced seniors players look to when times are tough, but, added Bradley, “the leadership on the team is shared. We talk a lot about making your teammates better, and they’ve bought into that.”

Among some other teams in the SCRC things have been a little bit tumultuous. LSU was suspended for having beer at a post-match social. As a result, the conference decided to make all of their games forfeits. It was only fair, said Bradley, because otherwise you make a team carry a loss all season while others get 15-0 victories of what would have been a conference contender.

As a result, Mississippi State’s record moved from 3-1 to 4-0, and they lead the West, having clinched a playoff spot. The team in the best shape to join them is Alabama, which has only played three games (going 2-1). The Tide have three to go, including one against the team closest to them, 2-3 Auburn, and one against an Ole Miss team that hasn’t been able to play all of their games. Even if the Tide lose to Mississippi State, they will likely finish 4-2, which will put them in the playoffs.

USC will host the playoffs November 15-16.