"Better, Bigger and Louder" - Ellie Kildunne reveals what's next for England after World Cup win

England were crowned world champions for the third time, repeating the magic of 2014, but with a new swagger, a new generation, and the unmistakable feeling that women’s rugby had arrived. At the heart of his new era of England dominance is Red Roses fullback Ellie Kildunne. The Harlequins high-flyer scored an incredible solo try to get England on the board in the final, and overall, was a stand-out performer in John Mitchell's World Cup winning team.

“To win a World Cup at home, to win any World Cup at all, is very, very special, and to have that many people there, we’ve done everything that we wanted to. We’ve inspired a nation and probably more, and we’ve got a gold medal around our neck." Said Kildunne, whose dazzling solo try eight minutes into the match set the tone of England's attacking intent.

“I didn’t really hear it [the crowd after scoring the try]. It’s weird. It kind of bursts your eardrums a little bit as it happens, and you come around, come back, thinking, ‘Okay, how happened?’, it’s not really about the crowd that moment, it feels amazing, but it’s more for the team, like we’ve put ourselves back [into the match]. We were down. We needed to get back. We needed to go underneath the posts. So to put the team in that place was something I was proud of.”

Whilst Kildunne's contributions were spotlighted in the highlight reels, the fullback expressed how the Red Roses' dominance in the Final was nothing short of a determined team effort.

“It’s not just we being the Red Roses, everyone else behind the scenes as well, we definitely wouldn’t be World Champions if it wasn’t for everybody else. There isn’t one person that hasn’t had an impact on today, it’s not one to 23, it’s everyone else that have worked throughout the past 17 weeks and more the past three years, who have made us play the way that we did today,” Kildunne explained.

Record-breaking attendance wasn’t a surprise to Kildunne, as a breathtaking 81,885 fans packed themselves into the Allianz Stadium. The capacity crowd set a new attendance record for a women's rugby match, which broke the previous record held at the Women's sevens final from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, when 66,000 fans watched on from the Stade de France.

Kildunne featured for Team GB that day at the Olympics, yet it is her efforts for England that is putting women's rugby 'on the map'.

“It’s something I’m not surprised about. I think a few years ago, we would be surprised, but we’ve put in the work. And it’s not just we being the Red Roses, everyone else taking your time to come and support us as women’s rugby players, and getting our name out there, getting women’s rugby on the map, it’s done what we wanted it to do.

"I remember the last World Cup (2022 Final vs New Zealand) thinking, if we win, this is gonna be a thing that changes the sport. Before this game today, we’d already changed the sport, and I think that was the biggest difference, and it’s because of everyone else, not just us as players, but everyone else behind the scenes as well.”

Kildunne also paid tribute to a stand-out opponent from the Canada squad, whom she passed on the World Rugby Women's Player of the Year Award on to. Kildunne, the recipient of the ilustrious award in 2024, watched on as Canada captain Sophie de Goede picked up the accolade following her side's defeat in the final at Twickenham.

“Sophie de Goede has been massive. You know, she’s fantastic… she’s been absolutely amazing. She’s someone that you fear when defending. And, you know, Canada as a whole, have been able to transcend the sport. And I hope that it keeps on going in Canada itself, and keeps on, you know, pushing those boundaries and getting bigger and better fans, funding, and as a team. They keep on striving for more.”

Even with Women's World Cup the trophy in hand, Kildunne’s eyes are on the horizon. “Yeah, I mean, we can always get better. It’s going to be something that, you know, we’ve sold out stadiums for the first time. Now it’s the challenge, can we keep on doing that?

"It’s not just on the final, it’s not just a Grand Slam decider, every single match, we're [wanting to be] selling stadiums out. That’s what we’ve done at this World Cup. We just want to take it on to the next Six Nations, and then into the next World Cup, and keep on getting better, bigger and louder, because that’s all we’re wanting to do.”

Kildunne draws inspiration from the Lionesses’ impact on women’s football, but she’s determined to carve her own path with the Red Roses. “I definitely thought it was the moment last World Cup, you know, after the Lionesses won the first time around… I’ve always said that I want the impact of this World Cup to exceed my imagination.

"You can use the Lionesses as a standpoint, and something that they did fantastic… but we’re rugby, we’re a different sport. We’re women in sport, and we want to inspire as many people as we can do just like the Lionesses. But we’re here to write our own story. We want to get everyone else involved in it… women spotting women is the most important thing. But yeah, I just want to keep on pushing the boundary and keep exceeding expectations.”