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The end result of a story that has caught international attention is a positive one. On Monday afternoon the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation confirmed that rugby has been fully reinstated as a high school sport for the upcoming school year, with some interesting changes.
An announcement in May by the NSSAF seemingly brought the high school rugby season to an abrupt end. Concerns over head injury reports and insurance claims were cited as reasons for the sport’s cancellation. The decision was met with such public uproar that political intervention reinstated the season, but under the supervision and management of the provincial sporting body – Rugby Nova Scotia – rather than the NSSAF.
Education Minister Zach Churchill formed a panel of experts to examine safety in school sport over the summer, and on Friday the NSSAF met with Rugby Nova Scotia officials to formulate an agreement for rugby’s full reinstatement under the Federation banner. Terms were agreed by both parties and a subsequent vote passed unanimously.
Most notable of the changes will see the acceptable tackle height of all high school rugby lowered from the shoulder height to the waist. It’s a change that is currently being trialed by World Rugby and recommended in Rugby Canada’s Age Grade Law Variations rolled out in June.
In an effort to introduce the sport at a younger age, flag rugby will now be included as part of the province’s Junior High School Phys-Ed curriculum. It’s hoped that the earlier development of ball skills and game awareness will allow for more emphasis on safety in the contact area at High School level.
Also to be added will be a High School sevens circuit. The addition will give schools struggling for numbers in the 15-a-side game an opportunity to field a team in the shortened version, and also provide a pathway for those with international sevens or Olympic aspirations.
It’s an agreement that could set a precedent not only in Canada but elsewhere as High School rugby programs across North America have come under greater scrutiny. Those in Eastern Canada will be particularly relieved that the situation has come to a progressive resolution.
