Ellie Kildunne Aims to Emulate Chloe Kelly at the Women’s Rugby World Cup
The Women’s Player of the Year, Ellie Kildunne, has expressed her desire to follow in the footsteps of Chloe Kelly, a Lionesses star, ensuring her name is recognized by fans during the Women’s Rugby World Cup. The Harlequins fullback is feeling optimistic about the quest for global glory in her country and is inspired by England’s women’s football team, who defended their European title. Chloe Kelly, from Arsenal, played a prominent role in England’s triumph at the 2025 European Championship in Switzerland, gaining prominence by scoring the winning goal in the 2022 European Championship final at Wembley. Kildunne is key to the Red Roses’ ambitions of lifting the trophy at Twickenham next month and hopes the team can follow in the footsteps of the Lionesses, becoming household names and raising the profile of women’s sport.England will kick off the World Cup on August 22 against the United States in Sunderland and will also face Samoa and Australia in Group A. The hosts arrive at the competition as the world’s top-ranked team, tournament favorites, and having won the last seven Six Nations titles.“Outside this pub, Chloe Kelly shirts are being sold on the street. That’s what the Euros have done for the Lionesses and the opportunity we have with this World Cup is to have Kildunne shirts being sold on the street; for girls and boys to have posters of Emily Scarratt and Meg Jones on their walls and not just Jonny Wilkinson”.
Ellie Kildunne
Kildunne solidified her status as the tournament’s image by being named world player of the year after an outstanding 2024, in which she scored 14 tries in nine matches. The 25-year-old player stated that she is not intimidated by the prospect of increased scrutiny.“Her ability to keep fighting and not give up is something that inspires many people. Like the Red Roses, it’s something we can draw inspiration from because it won’t be easy, we’ll have to work very hard. I can’t go anywhere without someone talking about the Women’s World Cup or the Red Roses. We’ll have to get used to it because it’s not going to diminish anytime soon”.
Ellie Kildunne
“I’ll add that goal to my back; I see it as pressure, but I don’t think pressure is a bad thing. I see pressure as a privilege and I definitely think it’s a good thing. I use pressure to challenge myself, to exceed people’s expectations and to rewrite what people may think I can do and take it to the next level. I feel strong and confident, the most confident I’ve felt, so I’m ready and eager to start”.
Ellie Kildunne
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Kildunne was part of the English team that was defeated 34-31 by New Zealand in the 2022 World Cup final after a red card for her teammate Lydia Thompson in the 18th minute. “The disappointment and anguish of the last World Cup rekindled a flame within me that I already thought was burning quite intensely. We have learned a lot from that tournament and have built a lot in our culture, so we find ourselves in a completely different space. It’s something that can be rewritten and that’s what we’re focusing on a lot. It’s not a story of revenge, we’re simply rewriting it.”
