P.E.I. Rugby Union hopeful high school rugby will carry on after N.S. ban

The P.E.I. Rugby Union doesn't believe a ban on the game in Nova Scotia high schools will have an impact on the game on the Island.

The ban came after an injury to a player at Sydney Academy, but the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation says that was not the basis of its decision. It said the decision took into account studies that showed high rates of injury in the sport and has been an ongoing discussion since last May

Last May a P.E.I. high school player, Brodie McCarthy, died of a head injury suffered during a match.

The P.E.I. Rugby Union responded to the accident with new safety training.

"Our provincial union will continue to do everything we can to make the game as safe as possible for our players and we're excited for to see our junior players back out on the fields," Ryan Lloyd, commissioner of high school rugby on P.E.I. and secretary for the P.E.I. Rugby Union, said in an email to CBC News.

Lloyd said P.E.I. Rugby Union fully supports Rugby Nova Scotia, which has requested a meeting with the school sports federation to find out more about the reasoning behind the elimination of high school teams. 

The high school season on P.E.I. started Thursday evening. The decision whether to continue the season rests with the P.E.I. School Athletic Association, and Lloyd believes the P.E.I. Rugby Union will be consulted before any changes are made.

The PEISAA has not yet made any statements about the decision in Nova Scotia or whether it will affect the future of high school rugby in P.E.I.

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