The Deep South Collegiate Rugby Conference will be joining NSCRO for the Fall 2020 as a hybrid of Small School Division and Open Division conference.    

The Deep South Conference has been a hybrid conference with NSCRO for the past few years, with the D2-level teams going on to compete nationally in the D2 playoffs. It has been a bit of a struggle for the conference over the years as small numbers has led to forfeits. But last year seemed to be a resurgent year for the conference as a whole. Perhaps most notable in the Deep South was Spring Hill, which lost its varsity status and has picked up nicely and started to find success again as a club sport.

Spring Hill Dismisses Obstacles, Keeps Winning

"Our teams look forward to the NSCRO focus on developing rugby at the collegiate level," said Deep South Conference Commissioner Matt Austin. "Our players are excited about the select side opportunities and playoff pathway.  Our administrators anticipate a great continued relationship with NSCRO as the organization grows."

The Conference currently has 7 men’s teams in Louisiana and Alabama. The teams, in alphabetical order:

Louisiana Tech University - Ruston, Louisiana
Southeastern University of Louisiana - Hammond, Louisiana
Spring Hill College - Mobile, Alabama
Troy University - Troy, Alabama
Tulane University- New Orleans, Louisiana
University of Louisiana at Lafayette - Lafayette, Louisiana
University of New Orleans - New Orleans, Louisiana

In the end it's likely that NSCRO, soon to be renamed NCRO, will be the home of nearly every men's D2 college conference. There remains some question about the Mid-Atlantic, which is part of a regional collegiate group that covers four separate divisions, three for men and one for women. It's possible the SCRC might be a holdout, as well.

Along with those two, conferences that have not announced joining NSCRO are: Rocky Mountain, Tri-State, NEWCRC. As posted on GRR earlier, Rugby Northeast has essentially merged with the NEWCRC.

Four From Rugby Northeast Move To NEWCRC