Kildunne Back with England After Olympic Stint

Full-back focused on home Rugby World Cup bid

Ellie Kildunne was a member of the Great Britain women's sevens team that placed eighth in the Paris Olympics /

By Priscilla Rotich

Full-back Ellie Kildunne represented Great Britain in the Paris Olympics after helping England win the Women's Six Nations Grand Slam for the third time in a row.

She says she is ready to "fight for her shirt" and focus on England's ambition to win the Rugby World Cup at home in 2025.

Kildunne was a member of the Great Britain women's sevens team that placed eighth in the Paris Olympics, but she is already back training with the Red Roses as the countdown to next year's competition in England heats up.

One year after the World Cup began on 22 August, the 24-year-old has not ruled out changing codes again, but will not consider any potential decision until after the event has concluded.

"This is about 15s now we're heading towards a World Cup and who knows after that," said Kildunne.

"I don't want to be someone that's in and out. It's really important to be part of the squad."

Kildunne, 2024 Women's Six Nations player of the tournament, got back to England's training camp barely two weeks after the final day of sevens in Paris.

"As soon as that last whistle went, I went back into the changing room and I wanted to go again," said Kildunne.

The Red Roses have a lot of rugby to play in the lead-up to the World Cup, including domestic preparation matches against France as well as New Zealand beginning in September before heading to Canada to secure their WXV crown.

The match versus defending world champs New Zealand on September 14 will be held at Twickenham, which will be renamed the Allianz Stadium.

While Kildunne's current concentration is on the Red Roses, she hopes to return to sevens and compete in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

She acknowledges France captain Antoine Dupont and USA bronze winner and social media influencer Ilona Maher for helping to revolutionize sevens.

Kildunne expects that the British players will be better sponsored over the following four years, as the men's team failed to qualify for the Paris Games and the women's squad only trained together for 30 days in the previous year.

"How do we expect a team to be at the top level and win an Olympic medal?" she asked.

She wishes more funds were allocated to it and believes GB understands that if you want a successful squad, you must invest in that team.