High school rugby players in Nova Scotia will get to finish their season, the province and the school sports federation announced Tuesday, five days after the sport was abruptly axed due to safety concerns.

The Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation (NSSAF) and the Department of Education issued a joint statement saying Rugby Nova Scotia will manage the rest of the season, including regional and provincial playoffs.

"They are the experts in safety in this … so they've agreed to take it over, run the rest of the year. I'm sure the students will be happy about that," said NSSAF chair Stephen MacNeil. "The on-pitch experience for students will remain quite the same."

Although rugby is no longer sanctioned by the NSSAF, for at least the rest of this season, it remains a school-approved sport covered by the School Insurance Program.

"We're confident safety for the students will be looked after going forward and we're comfortable with that," said MacNeil.

"I'm thrilled today that we have an agreement going forward that has alleviated a lot of our concerns."

NSSAF chair Stephen MacNeil, left, and Cathy Montreuil, deputy minister of education. (Jack Julian/CBC)

Last Thursday, the federation governing high school sports announced without notice it was ending the rugby season effective immediately due to data that showed players suffered a high number of injuries.

Top doctors and some sports health professionals in the province swiftly questioned the sudden decision, and student athletes across the province protested. On Friday, Education Minister Zach Churchill ordered the decision be reversed.

Next season unclear

It's still not clear whether rugby will go ahead next season.

Over the summer, the NSSAF will work with government, Rugby Nova Scotia and medical professionals on the safety of the sport, said Tuesday's joint statement.

Deputy education minister Cathy Montreuil said Tuesday her department knew NSSAF was talking about safety in rugby, but the department wasn't aware the federation was going to cancel the sport outright.

These J.L. Ilsley High School students were among nearly 200 rugby players who showed up to protest May 3 outside the Halifax Convention Centre. (David Burke/CBC)

The education minister previously released a statement saying the athletic federation neglected to consult school communities about the cancellation and did not inform the department it intended to make the decision public.

Montreuil said she and MacNeil discussed this disconnect during their morning meeting and her department and the federation will be looking at how best to work together going forward.

"So that we're operating on a best range of information for our kids and that we operate on a no-surprises basis, I think we got those understandings today," she said.

MacNeil said at Tuesday's joint news briefing that he didn't think an apology was warranted over the cancellation because he felt everyone was acting in the best interests of students.

Jack Hanratty, a provincial coach with Rugby Nova Scotia, was "relieved" to hear about the resolution and he's looking forward to looking at the federation's data related to athlete injuries.

"We're at the table now," he said. "I think we've shown how passionate people are about high school rugby and what we'll do is continue to make the game safer."

Citadel High's girls rugby co-captains Emma MacDougall and Agustina Cohen were playing a game after school on Tuesday. (CBC)

Citadel High girls rugby co-captains Emma MacDougall and Agustina Cohen said their team was devastated by the cancellation and excited to confirm they'd be finishing off the season as planned.

"Even when we woke up this morning, we weren't sure if we were going to be here today ... playing here today is really good news for everyone," said Cohen.

As for as how to make the game safer, she said she hopes coaches continue to ensure players know how to tackle and be tackled properly.

"It's just about learning to play the game safely and making sure everybody walks on the field knowing how to play rugby safe and how to make sure nobody gets hurt," added MacDougall.

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