Welsh Rugby Union bans men from women’s game

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has announced that it will prevent men from playing women’s rugby in order to protect women from injury.

Previously, men who claim to be female were permitted to participate in the women’s game by the national governing body for rugby in Wales, subject to a series of tests, including testosterone levels.

But in line with World Rugby recommendations from 2020, the WRU has strengthened its policy “based on the best current medical and scientific evidence”.

Evidence

The WRU stated: “Recent peer reviewed research provides evidence that there are physical differences between those whose sex was assigned as male and those as female at birth, and advantages in strength, stamina and physique brought about by male puberty are significant and retained even after testosterone suppression.”

The governing body referred to World Rugby’s transgender guidelines, which explain that such evidence highlights “significant implications for the risk of injury in rugby”.

The WRU’s ban is now active and will be kept under review in accordance with future research.

the best current medical and scientific evidence

England

In July, the national governing body for rugby in England voted to ban men who live as if they are women from playing contact women’s rugby.

After an extensive two-year process, the Rugby Football Union concluded that its previous case-by-case approach was “no longer viable”.

Fair Play For Women’s Director of Sport Fiona McAnena commented: “We are delighted to see a return to common sense. I mean, who would have thought we had to have a vote about whether the female category should be only for females?”