Scottish Rugby is altering its guidelines from 1 February to ban transgender ladies from competing involved variations of the ladies’s recreation.

Scottish Rugby estimates the taking part in inhabitants of trans individuals in Scotland to be fewer than 10.

The transfer follows earlier choices by the English, Irish and Welsh unions.

The brand new coverage takes into consideration steering from World Rugby and the UK-wide Sports activities Councils’ Equality Group.

Transgender ladies might beforehand take part in contact variations of the ladies’s recreation in Scotland relying on the end result of a “thorough medical course of together with testosterone assessments” previous to registration to play.

Scottish Rugby mentioned: “We acknowledge that that is an evolving house, and we’ll proceed to overview all accessible data because it emerges.”

Transgender males could proceed to play contact rugby within the males’s class supplied a danger evaluation has been undertaken by their membership and the end result logged with the SRU.

An announcement on the Scottish Rugby web site mentioned: “All of us have a accountability to take care of the contributors in our recreation, with their wellbeing and security on the centre of every little thing we do.

“We totally acknowledge it is a tough and sadly divisive societal difficulty, and that has been particularly obvious over the previous couple of months. Scottish Rugby has been aware of this and aimed to take care of the difficulty in a delicate method.

“Scottish Rugby needs to be as inclusive as attainable and is barely imposing such eligibility restrictions primarily based on the steering supplied. The choice to amend our eligibility standards was not taken calmly as we search to handle conflicting viewpoints.

“Our gender participation coverage recognises the necessity to steadiness issues of security and equity with our underlying want to be as inclusive as attainable.

“At this second in time, Scottish Rugby has opted to decide which places security first, primarily based on the present analysis.”