Ellie Kildunne reveals how England's Lionesses reached out to Red Roses ahead of Women's Rugby World Cup

Kildunne expressed how the 'baton has been passed' to the Red Roses, as John Mitchell's side look to extend the Summer of success for women's sport in England. The Red Roses are firmly in the conversation to win their home-hosted tournament, as they have held the Number One spot in the World Rugby rankings since November 2020, and have not lost a match since the 2022 RWC final defeat to New Zealand in Auckland's Eden Park.

England are hunting down their first Women's Rugby World Cup title since 2014, with Kildunne sharing how the Lionesses banded together in support of the Red Roses ahead of the competition.

"They have, [messaged us] yes. Alex Greenwood, Niamh Charles, Steph Houghton, loads of the girls on social media, just messaged us. We backed the girls, and they back us as well. It's almost like they passed on the baton for us, to now take it and see what we can do with it."

Whilst the Lionesses lost their opening match of their 2025 Women's Euros campaign with a 2-1 defeat to France, the Red Roses did not start their Rugby World Cup with the same mistake up in Sunderland. It was one-way traffic up in the North East, as England hammered the United States with 11 tries, to tally up a staggering 69-7 score-line at the Stadium of Light.

Whilst excelling with the ball in hand, a few of the Red Roses also showcased their own footballing skills to break down the American defenders. Zoe Harrison was metronomic from the kicking tee, whilst Meg Jones' delightful cross-field kick laid the foundations to Hannah Botterman's try. Kildunne presented her own proficiency from the boot, as the Harlequin stubbed neat grubbers along the wing and into the back-field, with a noteable nudge then regathered upon her knee, before playing in Jess Breach for a try.

"Yeah, I played a lot of football growing up, quite a few footballers in the team." Kildunne explained. "A lot of the girls did. I just think that crossover of sports is definitely helpful, and obviously, watching the Lionesses do what they did in the Euros, we probably got a few tips off of them with some of the nudges that the girls were putting in."

When asked as to who was the best footballer within the Red Roses squad, Kildunne revealed how that is quite the topic of contention between herself and fellow Great Britain Sevens star from the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, Trailfinders' new signing Meg Jones.

"There's a few that probably shoot me down if I said that I am, I was the best. You know Meg Jones, one person down there, sometimes we go 'Oh [Lionel] Messi,' when she puts a good kick through. So yes, we've got a lot of good footballers in this team."

Kildunne was at the heart of England's opening round win in the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup, as the flying fullback bagged two tries, two assists and the Player of the Match Award in Sunderland's Stadium of Light. Kildunne could well have secured a hat-trick for herself on two occassions, as a sole defender stood between the Harlequin and the try-line.

However, Kildunne sent two unselfish passes to Jess Breach to walk over the line, with Kildunne explaining how she'd always rather guarantee a try for her team than go it alone with options available.

"It doesn't cross my mind. You know, I think over the past few years as a back-three unit we've definitely progressed and evolved. When there's an easier pass, we go for the easier pass. It's not about glory. At the end of the day. As a team, we want to be successful. We want to get those tries in. So if someone else can run it in, let them run it in."

"As a team, we're definitely a unit, and we are on this journey together. There's no individuals in the game of rugby, and individuals are not going to win the World Cup, a team is."

"I think every team is going to have pressure to win the World Cup. It's a huge opportunity. We work on our culture very much, so that it's just about us and it's just about the circle that we've built. There's always going to be pressure, but we try not to feel it, and we take each game as it comes."

The incredible cohesion that the Red Roses enjoy was demonstrated upon Kildunne's Player of the Match Award presentation, as the fullback immediately credited the forward pack for their performance against USA. Loose-head prop Hannah Botterman joked after the match that she told Kildunne to say that, yet the back-three star double-downed on the team effort, as the forwards laid the groundwork for the win.

"100 per cent, it's a team sport. The end of the day, we wouldn't have the space on the edges if it wasn't for the forwards battering through the middle. That's what our forwards are very, very good at. They suck people in, and then the space opens up for us on the edge. So it is a full team effort. You can't win a game of rugby with one person, and it is credit to forwards and everyone else on the pitch that gets us
that point."