Concussion prevention, management and education remains a top priority as Rugby Canada marks Rowan’s Law Day
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In 2013, Rowan Stringer, a high school rugby player from Ottawa, died tragically of Second Impact Syndrome, having suffered multiple concussions within a short space of time whilst playing rugby. In her memory, Rowan’s Law and Rowan’s Law Day were established to bring awareness to concussions and concussion safety.
September 25, 2024 (Langford, BC) – In 2013, Rowan Stringer, a high school rugby player from Ottawa, died tragically of Second Impact Syndrome, having suffered multiple concussions within a short space of time whilst playing rugby. In her memory, Rowan’s Law and Rowan’s Law Day were established to bring awareness to concussions and concussion safety.
Rowan’s Law Day takes place on the last Wednesday of every September and is a day dedicated to raising awareness of the work being done around concussion prevention, management and education in sport. Rugby Canada is proud to be a leader in this area.
To prevent a tragedy from ever happening again, all matches played under the jurisdiction of Rugby Canada and the country’s Provincial Unions must comply with Rugby Canada Concussion Guidelines and World Rugby’s Recognize and Remove protocols.
Rugby Canada also encourages players, coaches, match officials or anybody involved in the game of rugby to become familiar with resources which provide education around concussion identification and management, such as: Concussion Management for the General Public.
Rugby Ontario member clubs have continued to embrace and adhere to Rowan’s Law and the Blue Card program in 2024. Their commitment to player welfare and safety is vital in fostering a positive and supportive environment for all rugby athletes. Match Officials, medical staff and Rugby Ontario’s educational partners, OFSAA and OCAA implemented the Blue Card in their rugby programming for 2024. Their support will help foster a positive impact on player safety in all levels of rugby in Ontario.
In 2024, Rugby Alberta ran a Blue Card pilot program implemented at U16 and U18 age grades. Due to the success of the pilot, Rugby Alberta is looking to expand the initiative to other age grades in 2025
Last year, Rugby Canada launched the new ‘TackleSmart’ resource, a professional development course and online resource that educates both new and experienced community and high school rugby coaches on current tackle laws, techniques, and progressions as well as helps coaches working with athletes who are new to contact. The goal of this training is to prevent injury in the tackle by giving coaches the competence and confidence to coach the tackle and progress effectively to contact.
Rugby Canada TackleSmart Coach Reference Manual
Rugby Canada has also developed the ‘Age Grade Law Variations’ documents, a resource developed to ensure that a safe, enjoyable, age-appropriate environment is created at all levels of the community game.
Rowan’s Law Day will take place on Wednesday September 25, with Rugby Canada’s social media channels dedicated to raising awareness of Rowan’s Law and the work being done around concussion prevention, management and education in the sport. If you wish to commemorate Rowan’s Law Day, you are encouraged to wear purple this Wednesday.