4 days ago
Red Roses players back ‘Ruck You' transgender v biological female sevens match
Red Roses players have voiced their support for a rugby match that saw a team of trans women play against a side of biological females.
The 'Ruck You' match took place in Oslo to challenge the perception that trans women have physical advantages over biological women.
The game began with seven trans women playing against seven former female internationals, before players from both teams mixed to protest against the sport's ban on transgender women. The match finished 34-7, with a post on the event's social media feed claiming the team of trans women only scored their try after 'one pivotal change.. When trans women and cis women mixed teams and came together.'
The event, which was organised by former England prop Sasha Acheson, was also supported by past and present players from Wales and Scotland. Meg Jones and Poppy Cleall were among the current Red Roses players who sent messages of support that were shared on the event's social media feed ahead of the match on June 1.
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Jones, one of England's standout players in recent seasons, said: 'I'm supporting the Ruck You match because this game is built on women of all shapes and sizes, different backgrounds, different stories and I know sport has the power to make this change. On June 1, hopefully we get to see the change we want to see in this world.'
Cleall, who has 66 caps for the Red Roses, said: 'I support the Ruck You match. Rugby is an incredible sport. It's incredible because it's inclusive, communities come together and any shape, any size can play it.
'That's why I love rugby and that's why I hope rugby continues to be that safe space for people, that place where anyone can feel like they can come to and be supported. Teamwork is so vital in rugby and this is an opportunity for me to say, 'I have your back.''
In 2020, World Rugby became the first international sports federation to ban trans women at elite level, citing 'significant' safety concerns.
The body's decision was based on scientific data which showed 'at least a 20-30 per cent greater risk' of injury risk factors when a female player is tackled by someone who has gone through male puberty. Despite this data, the body said it was up to individual member unions to decide whether to enforce the policy at grassroots level.
The global governing body did not comment on the 'Ruck You' match when approached by Telegraph Sport.
Two players who were named in the transgender team line-up in Oslo were Julie Ann Curtis and Alix Fitzgerald, who became ineligible to play female community rugby in England when the Rugby Football Union voted to ban trans women from full-contact women's rugby union in 2022. At the time, there were believed to be six transgender women playing in the female community game.
The RFU did not comment on English players' involvement in the 'Ruck You' match when approached by Telegraph Sport.
The 'Ruck You' match is believed to be the first of its kind staged at the International Gay Rugby Cup, which describes itself as Europe's largest inclusive rugby tournament, and was supported by several women internationals.
USA international Alycia Washington was part of the biological female team and flew to Oslo hours after winning France's premier club competition, Elite 1 Feminine league, with Bordeaux over the weekend.
'If you're wondering why I flew [to Oslo] for one 7s game, it's because people in my community had their rugby careers stolen from them by a ban on trans athletes,' Washington, a former Worcester Warriors player, wrote on social media. 'I believe they deserve to play and it was an honor [sic] to give them one more game.'
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Several sports governing bodies have banned transgender women in the wake of the landmark Supreme Court ruling on April 16 that a legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.
The England and Wales Cricket Board banned transgender women from competing in all levels of women's cricket on May 2, while England Netball also changed its participation guidelines by banning transgender women from its female category.
From September, the body will recognise three distinct gender participation categories: female, male and mixed.
