The Women’s Player of the Year, Ellie Kildunne, has expressed her desire to emulate Lionesses star Chloe Kelly, ensuring her name is printed on fans’ jerseys after the Women’s Rugby World Cup. Harlequins fullback is full of confidence ahead of her country’s quest for global glory at home and has been inspired by the English footballers who retained their European Championship title. Arsenal’s forward, Kelly, played a stellar role in England’s triumph at the 2025 European Championship in Switzerland, rising to fame 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 Lionesses’ footsteps by becoming household names and raising the profile of women’s sport.
England will start 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 face of the tournament by being crowned player of the year after an outstanding 2024 that saw her score 14 tries in nine matches.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’s not going to be easy, we’re going to have to work hard.
Ellie Kildunne
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 at minute 18 for her teammate Lydia Thompson. 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 we have built a lot in our culture, so we are in a completely different space. It’s something you can rewrite and what we are very focused on. It’s not a revenge story, we’re just rewriting.I feel pressure, but I don’t think pressure is a bad thing. I see pressure as a privilege and I think it’s a good thing. I use pressure to challenge myself and exceed people’s expectations and rewrite what people may think I can do and take it to the next level.
Ellie Kildunne
