Nova Scotia Bans High School Rugby

[CanaBull]

Not proving to be a popular decision out East.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/rugby-federation-cancels-games-1.5120503

 

[RayCee]

I used to get more injured playing soccer than RL. I got a neck injury from an illegal shoulder charge I wasn't expecting. When in possession of the ball in RL, I knew I was a target and was braced for it. Never got injured.

[Kayakman]

8 hours ago, CanaBull said:

Not proving to be a popular decision out East.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/rugby-federation-cancels-games-1.5120503

 

I used to be the Coach at the school of the kids who just got the decision reversed...brings back memories.

[deluded pom?]

I bet they haven’t done any analysis on the repercussions of heading a soccer ball regularly. Why don’t they insist on school age players wearing a head guard? 

[CanadianRugger]

I've got a mixed opinion on this but hear me out for a minute.  

I've coached both junior rugby and high school rugby.  I can't speak for Nova Scotia but in Ontario at least, the two are night and day in terms of coaching standards, policy, resources, etc.  

Rugby Canada has mandated that all coaches for club rugby receive World Rugby Ready training as well as Concussion Awareness Training and extensive coaching certifications with head coaches being a minimum of World Rugby Level 2 trained.  This training costs hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars and a lot of time and commitment.

Schools on the other hand, require no real training, coaches are usually a teacher who has maybe played in the past or in some cases, drew the straw for rugby being the activity they were going to supervise.  Sometimes the "coaches" if we can even call them that are parents who are just trying to support their kids.  

From what I've seen, the coaching in high school rugby is abysmal and borders on negligent in some cases and OFSAA and other provincial school athletic associations don't even comply with minimum standards imposed by the sport's governing body.  

Rugby is a serious sport and a dangerous sport.  If it isn't coached properly, kids will get hurt and in extreme cases killed.  I blame parents for a lack of interest and the School Athletic Associations for not even enforcing the minimum standards practiced by the sport's actual governing body.  Especially in what is in many cases, children's first exposure to the sport.  

With this in mind, unless the school is willing to actually ensure coaches are properly certified, there is no way rugby can continue as a school sport in it's current format.  I would even be in more favour of high school rugby moving to playing rugby league, which I think is safer and more suitable to teaching the finer points of the sport.

Think this is the end?  Hockey and Football are both next on the chopping block and soon what passes for school sports will be Rocket League and Fortnite.

[TIWIT]

Interesting take on things, CR.

I think most high school sports in Ontario are doomed anyway. Teachers don't want to do anything after the school day ends - unless they are paid for it - but are also dead set against outside volunteers coming in - taking a job the teachers want to be paid for - and of course their unions and the current government are heading for a fight that will probably shut the schools down completely next fall, let alone have any extra-curricular activities like sports.

[Copa]

How does it work in Canada?

Here in Australia it’s rare for government schools to have teams participating in regular season rugby league competitions. They may briefly form a team for a carnival day or a knock out tournament but that’s about all.

Almost all junior rugby league (and almost all other sports) in Australia is run at community clubs that have no affiliation to local schools. You play for your suburb’s, town’s or region’s local rugby league club and they organise the weekly training, coaching and season long home and away competitions.

Some private schools run their own teams but many still play against regular community teams.

[TheReaper]

Essentially all schools have sports teams, starting in elementary school. The standards are usually soccer, volleyball, basketball,  track and field in elementary school. Maybe softball/baseball. High schools will larger numbers usually also have rugby,  football,  badminton,  lacrosse, swimming, maybe hockey.

Hockey is somewhat the odd one out where it is primary club based, since kids will be playing at clubs since the time they can walk, and schools don't have the infrastructure too support that. Same to an extent with swimming but it's nowhere near as popular. 

I'd guess that 75% or more of people's first introduction to rugby is when they first get to high school.  It was for me - I remember being on the bus waiting to leave one day and seeing the girls practising lineouts. I thought it was cheerleaders,  but most of them didn't exactly got the description but my friend had a sister on the team who filled me in.

[westside]

High school rugby is pretty essential if you want players in North America to be introduced at 14-15 instead of 18-19 at university (for those who attend). In my experience it is much easier to recruit kids to play for a school team than a club team with a generic name.

[deluded pom?]

16 hours ago, TheReaper said:

 my friend had a sister on the team who filled me in.

She sounds like a nasty piece of work. Ask any English people you know if this has gone over your head.

[Kayakman]

Many high school rugby coaches are certified to Coach (I was Level 3) in Canada and also to ref.  This certification has been going on for many years in most sports. Teachers make a great personal sacrifice to coach but the gov't seems determined to kill high school sports off as a cost saving measure....nothing the teachers can do...troubling times indeed.

[Jayme2020]

On ‎04‎/‎05‎/‎2019 at 12:23, CanadianRugger said:

I've got a mixed opinion on this but hear me out for a minute.  

I've coached both junior rugby and high school rugby.  I can't speak for Nova Scotia but in Ontario at least, the two are night and day in terms of coaching standards, policy, resources, etc.  

Rugby Canada has mandated that all coaches for club rugby receive World Rugby Ready training as well as Concussion Awareness Training and extensive coaching certifications with head coaches being a minimum of World Rugby Level 2 trained.  This training costs hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars and a lot of time and commitment.

Schools on the other hand, require no real training, coaches are usually a teacher who has maybe played in the past or in some cases, drew the straw for rugby being the activity they were going to supervise.  Sometimes the "coaches" if we can even call them that are parents who are just trying to support their kids.  

From what I've seen, the coaching in high school rugby is abysmal and borders on negligent in some cases and OFSAA and other provincial school athletic associations don't even comply with minimum standards imposed by the sport's governing body.  

Rugby is a serious sport and a dangerous sport.  If it isn't coached properly, kids will get hurt and in extreme cases killed.  I blame parents for a lack of interest and the School Athletic Associations for not even enforcing the minimum standards practiced by the sport's actual governing body.  Especially in what is in many cases, children's first exposure to the sport.  

With this in mind, unless the school is willing to actually ensure coaches are properly certified, there is no way rugby can continue as a school sport in it's current format.  I would even be in more favour of high school rugby moving to playing rugby league, which I think is safer and more suitable to teaching the finer points of the sport.

Think this is the end?  Hockey and Football are both next on the chopping block and soon what passes for school sports will be Rocket League and Fortnite.

Hockey even at the high school level is to much of a money maker for NS to chop.

[Jayme2020]

7 hours ago, Kayakman said:

Many high school rugby coaches are certified to Coach (I was Level 3) in Canada and also to ref.  This certification has been going on for many years in most sports. Teachers make a great personal sacrifice to coach but the gov't seems determined to kill high school sports off as a cost saving measure....nothing the teachers can do...troubling times indeed.

Football Ontario has a rule on how many games and teams a player can be on for a whole year which more or less has killed high school football this could lead to other sports as well.

[Jayme2020]

On ‎05‎/‎05‎/‎2019 at 03:27, Copa said:

How does it work in Canada?

Here in Australia it’s rare for government schools to have teams participating in regular season rugby league competitions. They may briefly form a team for a carnival day or a knock out tournament but that’s about all.

Almost all junior rugby league (and almost all other sports) in Australia is run at community clubs that have no affiliation to local schools. You play for your suburb’s, town’s or region’s local rugby league club and they organise the weekly training, coaching and season long home and away competitions.

Some private schools run their own teams but many still play against regular community teams.

In Ottawa the Eastern Ontario Rugby Union runs a high school league teams play something like 10 games.

[The Lad]

I was worried for a second, then I found out it was union lol.