The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) has said that transgender players will no longer be able to take part in women’s contact rugby in Ireland following a change to its gender participation policy.
According to RTE, the change comes about following what the IRFU described as a review of research showing that there is evidence that there are physical differences between people who were assigned as male and female at birth. The IRFU issued a statement to this effect, noting that male puberty brings about changes that lead to advantages in physique, strength and stamina.
The change in policy brings the IRFU in line with World Rugby and means that women’s rugby in Ireland will now only be allowed for players whose sex was assigned as female at birth. The IRFU has said that players affected by this change in policy can still participate in the game in different ways, such as coaching or refereeing.
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