Right-back Ellie Kildunne says she is ready to “fight for her shirt” and focus on England’s bid to win the Rugby World Cup on home soil in 2025.
Kildunne was part of the British women’s sevens team that finished seventh at the Paris Olympics, but is back training with the Red Roses as the countdown to next year’s tournament in England draws closer.
A year before the start of the World Cup on August 22, the 24-year-old player does not rule out changing codes again. However, he will only consider a possible change after the tournament.
“It’s about 15 seconds now, we’re heading towards the World Cup and who knows after that,” she told BBC Sport.
“I don’t want to be someone who is in and out. It’s really important to be part of the team.”
Kildunne, this year’s best player in the women’s six nations tournament, returned to the England training camp less than two weeks after the final day of the sevens tournament in Paris.
“As soon as the final whistle blew, I went back to the locker room and wanted to do it again,” she said.
The Red Roses still have plenty of rugby to play in the run-up to the World Cup, with home games against France and New Zealand in September before travelling to Canada to defend their WXV title.
The match against reigning world champions New Zealand on September 14 will be played at Twickenham. The stadium will then be renamed Allianz Stadium.
“This could be the final of the World Cup,” said Kildunne, who was part of the Red Roses team that lost the 2022 final to New Zealand. “There’s going to be a lot of excitement.”
Will Kildunne return to the sevens?
Although Kildunne is now focused on the Red Roses, she does have ambitions to return to the sevens and possibly compete at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
She credits both French captain Antoine Dupont and American bronze medalist and social media influencer Ilona Maher for their contributions to the transformation of the sport of sevens.
“Having those personalities — superstars in the game that attract different audiences — is really, really important,” she said. “It brought in a new audience.”
Kildunne hopes the British players will be better funded over the next four years, given that the men’s team failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics while the women’s team trained together for just 30 days last year.
“How do we expect a team to play at the top level and win an Olympic medal?” she asked.
“I hope more money is put into it. I hope GB gets that – if you want a successful team you have to invest in that team.”
