TOSH welcomes Nova Scotia rugby return

SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — The decision to continue high school rugby in Nova Scotia has been greeted as welcomed news at Three Oaks Senior High School.

“It’s definitely relieving because I know if I was in their shoes I would not want high school rugby to be cancelled,” said Dexter Stewart, a Grade 12 inside centre with the Three Oaks Axemen’s senior AAA boys’ team. “I am glad they have the opportunity to play again, they are back in it and they get to come over here.”
Eight Nova Scotia teams, including six girls’ squads, have confirmed their participation in this weekend’s 23rd annual David Voye Memorial rugby tournament in Summerside, which honours the memory of a former music teacher and a driving force behind the formation of the rugby program at Three Oaks.
“It’s a great experience (playing Nova Scotia teams),” said Jordyn Connell, who plays second row with the Three Oaks senior AAA girls. “Sometimes it gets a little boring playing the same teams all the time.
“It’s a chance for us to play teams that we don’t always see and teams of a higher calibre, because there are really, really strong teams from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
“Just getting the chance to play them makes us better and we get to take those experiences that we have in tournaments into our regular season and I feel it makes us that much stronger.”
Overall, 16 teams – 10 girls and six boys – will compete in the senior AAA-calibre event. Tuesday’s P.E.I. School Athletic Association game between Colonel Gray and Bluefield girls doubled as a tournament game. Bluefield won 36-12.

Sport’s future
The future of high school rugby in Nova Scotia became national news with the surprising announcement on May 2 that the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation (NSSAF) was immediately suspending the sport due to injury concerns. The NSSAF is the governing body of school sports in that province.
The news was followed by Nova Scotia Education Minister Zach Churchill calling for rugby to be reinstated by the NSSAF on Friday evening. The NSSAF issued a memo on Monday morning that its board of governors had not yet solved the issue. A meeting was held between the department of education and the NSSAF on Monday and a decision was reached to continue the season, with Rugby Nova Scotia managing the remainder of the season.
“I was pretty shocked,” said Axemen standoff Alex Compton, describing his reaction when he first learned the remainder of the 2019 campaign could be cancelled in Nova Scotia. “I’ve played three years at Three Oaks and it’s been an enjoyable part of being in high school. It’s been by far the most impactful sport I’ve played.”
Connell added: “When we found out that they took rugby out of schools in Nova Scotia, it was a shock to us, too. There are teams in Nova Scotia that we are looking forward to playing.”
Compton added “it’s great” the Nova Scotia teams can resume playing. “It’s a big part of our tournament and it brings a lot of excitement to our school.”
Compton and Dawson both like the challenges of playing Nova Scotia teams.
“It’s definitely a lot more competition when they come over,” said Dawson.

Schedule
David Voye Memorial rugby tournament at a glance:
Women
Pool A – Three Oaks, Halifax West, Cobequid Education Centre.
Pool B – Bluefield, Avon View, Colonel Gray.
Pool C – North Nova, Westisle.
Pool D – Charlottetown Rural, Glace Bay, Hants East.
Boys
Pool A – Hants East, Bluefield, Charlottetown Rural.
Pool B – Three Oaks, North Nova, Colonel Gray.
Schedule
Tuesday’s Result
Bluefield 36 Colonel Gray 12
Thursday’s Game
At Bluefield High School:
5:30 p.m. – Boys: Charlottetown Rural vs. Bluefield (boys).
Friday’s Games
(All games at Three Oaks):
Boys
1 p.m. – Colonel Gray vs. North Nova (Victoria Road Field).
2 p.m. – Charlottetown Rural vs. Hants East (Victoria Road Field).
3 p.m. – Three Oaks vs. Colonel Gray (Canada Games Field).
4 p.m. – Hants East vs. Bluefield (Bus Depot Field).
5 p.m. – Three Oaks vs. North Nova (Canada Games Field).
Girls
1 p.m. – Charlottetown Rural vs. Hants East (Canada Games Field).
2 p.m. – Colonel Gray vs. Avon View (Bus Depot Field); Halifax West vs. Cobequid Education Centre (Canada Games Field).
3 p.m. – Charlottetown Rural vs. Glace Bay (Victoria Road Field); Westisle vs. North Nova (Bus Depot Field).
4 p.m. – Three Oaks vs. Cobequid Education Centre (Canada Games Field); Bluefield vs. Avon View (Victoria Road Field).
5 p.m. – Glace Bay vs. Hants East (Bus Depot).
6 p.m. – Three Oaks vs. Halifax West (Canada Games).
Saturday’s Games
Girls
9 a.m. – Semifinals: first-place team in Pool D vs. first-place team in Pool D (Bus Depot Field); first-place team in Pool A vs. first-place team in Pool C (Canada Games Field).
10 a.m. – Second-place team in Pool A vs. second-place team in Pool C (Canada Games Field).
11 a.m. – Third-place team in Pool B vs. third-place team in Pool D (Bus Depot Field); second-place team in Pool B vs. second-place team in Pool D (Victoria Road Field); third-place team in Pool A vs. loser of semifinal game between first-place teams in Pools A and C (Canada Games).
Noon – Championship game (Canada Games Field); second-place team in Pool C vs. loser of semifinal game between first-place teams in Pools B and D (Victoria Road Field).
Boys
9 a.m. – Third-place team in Pool A vs. third-place team in Pool B (Victoria Road Field).
10 a.m. – Semifinals: Second-place team in Pool A vs. first-place team in Pool B (Canada Games Field); first-place team in Pool A vs. second-place team in Pool B (Bus Depot).
1 p.m. – Championship game (Canada Games Field).