Tracey Crouch, the sports minister, has intervened in the ban on bagpipes being played at the Rugby World Cup after an outcry among Scottish fans.
The senior Conservative confirmed she had raised the matter with tournament organisers.
There has been controversy over the decision to include bagpipes on a list of restricted items at the tournament, alongside oversized hats, big umbrellas and vuvuzelas.
It was earlier this week described as ridiculous and “disadvantageous” by David Sole, the former Scotland rugby captain who led the nation to a famous grand slam in 1990.
“Players are always focused on the game but you can hear the crowd getting behind you when the pipes are going,” he said. “To take that away is a terrible decision and disadvantageous to the Scots.”
Hannah Bardell, an SNP MP for Livingston, is campaigning for the ban to be overturned and had asked Crouch to help lobby the authorities.
“Tracey said she would do her best by raising it directly with Brett Gosper [the chief executive of World Rugby] herself,” she said.
“She gave me her personal commitment that she would do that, which was very good. I will be checking with her on Monday and I’m sure the Scottish Rugby Union will be pursuing it as well.
“Tracey was very enthusiastic and supportive about our sensible one piper approach, so we are keeping our fingers crossed.
“It would simply not be the same to have bagpipes only during the national anthem, which could even just be pumped out over the tannoy it seems.”
Bardell has tabled a parliamentary motion signed by Plaid Cymru and Democratic Unionist MPs, as well as many of her SNP colleagues.
A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, said it hoped decisions about bagpipers could be taken “on a case-by-case basis”.
“Tracey has sympathy with the SNP’s view and officials have made representations to the organisers,” he said.
“She hopes that if it is just one, sole bagpiper trying to come in, and they are not interfering with the people around them and their enjoyment of the game, they could be let through.”
Meanwhile it emerged that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had turned down an official invitation to attend Friday’s opening ceremony at Twickenham. A spokeswoman said he had pre-existing commitments.
Later in the evening, the leader of the opposition tweeted that he had been busy in his constituency.
7th hour of monthly walk-in MPs advice session & still more people to see because of the many problems faced by those who have come for help
— Jeremy Corbyn MP (@jeremycorbyn) September 18, 2015
