Mick Hartley

As was widely anticipated, World Rugby have now made their new transgender policy official: it is not recommended that transwomen play women's rugby.

World Rugby has approved updated transgender participation guidelines following a comprehensive, collaborative and inclusive review of its existing guidance.

The new guidelines [which can be accessed here] cover the participation of transgender athletes in men’s and women’s contact rugby where it is possible to do so safely and fairly.

As with many other sports, the physiological differences between males and females necessitate dedicated men’s and women’s contact rugby categories for safety and performance reasons. Given the best available evidence for the effects of testosterone reduction on these physical attributes for transgender women, it was concluded that safety and fairness cannot presently be assured for women competing against transwomen in contact rugby.  

As a result, the new guidelines do not recommend that transwomen play women’s contact rugby on safety grounds at the elite and international level of the game where size, strength, power and speed are crucial for both risk and performance, but do not preclude national unions from flexibility in their application of the guidelines at the community level of the game. Transmen are permitted to participate in men’s contact rugby.

As I've noted before, there somehow isn't much demand from transmen to participate in men’s contact rugby. Funny, that.

StonewallUK are deeply disappointed.