Activity at Rugby pitches at high schools across the province have come to a grinding halt. The 
governing body for school sports in the province, the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation has abuptly cancelled the Rugby season. The decision was made at the spring meetings of the Federation’s Board of Governors.
In a memo to High School Principals Thursday, the NSSAF says the decision was made following a review of incident report data provided by the School Insurance Program. The federation added student safety remains the Federation’s top priority.
Reaction to the decision has been swift. An on-line petition protesting the season’s cancellations has garnered more than 16,000 names by 9 a.m. Friday on the change.org web site.
Rugby Nova Scotia says it’s disappointed by the move, and has requested a meeting with the NSSAF to better understand the reason behind the decision.
P-C Leader and Pictou East MLA Tim Houston is also calling on the federation to re-instate the program. He pointed out that women’s rugby is the fastest growing sport in Canada and this decision will have a disproportionate impact on female athletes.