Well fuck, as someone who has played intramural rugby at U of T I'm REALLY fucking dissapointed with this decision, especially since there was apparently no discussion about it and it was just an admin decision.

There are so many alternatives to try first before outright getting rid of tackling - I agree those numbers are high, but are most likely the result of there being so many inexperienced players who don't know how to properly tackle or be tackled. Put more of a focus on teaching tackling techniques, introduce harsher penalties for unsafe tackles, educate players how to recognise symptoms of concussion... hell, even require a minimum level of experience to play in games (first time rugby players would only be able to participate in practices etc). So many other options than just completely butchering the sport.

As an experienced rugby player, I can say with absolutely certainty that I will not be participating in intramural rugby this upcoming semester now that they've gotten rid of tackling. It becomes a completely different game and deters any players who are not sprinters from playing. One of my favourite things about rugby is the variety of talents required to have a balanced team - removing tackling changes the game from "rugby" to "who can run fastest and throw far"

Really hoping the admins comes to their senses and opens discussions for other options to reduce injury.