Transgender women should be permitted to play women’s rugby ‘on a case-by-case basis’, according to Ireland legend Keith Wood.
The former Ireland hooker joined Lunchtime Live in Limerick this afternoon on the latest leg of the Newstalk Summer Tour.
The Clare man said he felt the IRFUs decision to ban transgender women from women’s rugby was just the start of the debate, adding: “I think we’ll see an awful lot changing in that over the next period of time”.
The IRFU announced the decision yesterday, following in the footsteps of World Rugby and the English RFU.
Keith Wood and John Kiely, sporting greats on @LunchtimeLiveNT 🤝 pic.twitter.com/pMDA0btDKX
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Wood said the debate is very difficult because it involves a “crossing over and intersection of people’s rights”.
“That’s the big issue that there is at the present moment in time,” he said.
“What was there was a situation where it was a case-by-case basis and I know that the IRFU’s view is that the latest science in relation to that proves that there can be a safety issue.
“I still would like a case-by-case basis, but it is very, very difficult to make it.
“I can understand that if you have a transgender woman who was brought up as a man, has been through adolescence and goes and plays and is very large, that can cause health and safety issues playing against other girls.
“That is the difficulty. But the case-by-case basis may be able to mitigate against that.”
Next on the show we are talking to rugby legend Keith Wood and All Ireland winning manager, John Kiely!
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He said the debate about trans women in rugby is only just beginning.
“I think this is the start of a conversation, I don’t think we’re at the end of it,” he said. “I think we’ll see an awful lot changing in that over the next period of time.”
“The IRFU has taken the view that World Rugby has taken and the English RFU has taken but look, I think this is at the start of it.
“It is that cross-over - that intersection of rights - that makes it incredibly difficult because some rights are being infringed upon no matter what way you go with it and I think that is the difficulty.”
Keith Wood and john Kiely with Andrea Gilligan in Limerick for the Newstalk Summer Tour. Image: NewstalkIn its statement yesterday, the IRFU said the issue was a “sensitive and challenging area” but claimed the move was necessary because trans women have “advantages in strength, stamina and physique”.
Dublin's LGBT rugby team The Emerald Warriors has asked the IRFU to reverse the decision.
Club Membership secretary Aaron Doyle told Newstalk that the previous case by case policy “protects our game and ensures a route for participation”.
“We want to continue to work with the IRFU on this topic and we hope to continually engage with them over the course of the next few months to put a plan in place and advocate for more research in this space,” said Aaron.
Meanwhile, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) has said it is developing a new transgender policy.
On Newstalk Breakfast on Tuesday, Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) Education Officer Daire Dempsey said the network would be “very disappointed” if the IRFU put a ban in place.
