The big scores have been coming in for Arkansas in the Heart of America Conference, but there’s more important work to be done.

The Razorbacks are defending Heart of American champions, and Saturday they played like it, slamming Nebraska 82-14 with three tries from center Stuart Lasater and 17 points from scrumhalf Alex Rees. That follows on from a 108-0 pasting of Oklahoma State. But Head Coach Warren Fyfe said that those big scores shouldn’t be how his team is judged. He’d rather judge the team by their recent win over Texas A&M. 

“I was excited about that,” said Fyfe. “It showed what we can do. It showed we’re developing as a team and that we’re serious about moving into the playoffs.”

The Razorbacks are enjoying a nice run of results that put them at the top of the HOA with a 4-0 record. Rees has been superb at scrumhalf, kicking goals and reading the game, thus allowing his forwards and the backs to attack with confidence. Jack Casey at flyhalf - two tries against the Cornhuskers - has combined nicely with Rees.

Up front prop and captain Robert Henderson has been very, very good. His Navy experience helps him be a leader, and he brings together a solid unit.

“He’s a high-quality player,” enthused Fyfe.

Fyfe has to be pleased, but he’s also working on things being better, testing his team’s depth by shifting the lineup around a bit.

Why? because there’s the future to think about. Arkansas faces Kansas State (3-2) this coming weekend, Truman State, and, to end the regular season, Missouri on April 9. Missouri is also 4-0, behind Arkansas by a bonus point. Mizzou has been impressive and beat Kansas two weeks ago behind two tries from prop Connor Fairfax. 

“Mizzou is always a big game, and they are getting stronger and stronger,” said Fyfe. “We know that game will be important. But we want to win that one and get into nationals and compete. We felt we competed at the beginning last year, but we also lost to UC Davis. This year we really want to compete.”

It’s easy to overlook Arkansas. They play in that flyover country conference, and are perhaps overshadowed by Arkansas State when it comes to rugby. But the Razorbacks are no joke. They are physical, fast, and they are learning to stick to their game plan whether the score is out of reach or on a knife edge.