Bagpipe ban unsettles Scots
"When you think of Scotland, you think of bagpipes," Ross Ford, the Scotland hooker, said of the ban – according to the World Cup website's news service.
"When you are warming up and you hear them, it's a big boost to the players.
"It certainly takes away the atmosphere for the fans," he added.
"It's our national instrument and national sound."
Stuart Hogg, the Scotland fullback said: "Obviously, you love hearing the bagpipes being played and it’s a shame."
Bagpipes are on a list of items banned during the games to avoid annoying other spectators, including drums, air horns and the notorious vuvuzelas.
A spokesman for the tournament said: "Individual instruments will not be permitted into venues to rightly give appropriate consideration to fan experience,"
He added that bagpipes would still be played at official ceremonies – just not by fans during games.
The House of Commons motion signed by 21 MPs "recognises that bagpipes are not dangerous," and "stresses the importance of cultural identity associated with bagpipes for Scots".
Former Scotland star David Sole, who led the team in a famous victory over England in 1990, also condemned the ban in an interview with Scottish television.
"I just think it is an absolutely ridiculous decision by the World Cup to ban bagpipers," he said.
"What it does is when you hear the pipes going the crowd get behind the Scottish team, and to take that away is a terrible decision and disadvantageous to the Scots."
Scotland take on Japan in Gloucester on Wednesday.
Source: Agence France-Presse
