{"id":159239,"date":"2025-09-21T17:17:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T17:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/159239\/"},"modified":"2025-09-21T17:17:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T17:17:11","slug":"there-is-nothing-more-we-can-do-to-be-prepared","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/159239\/","title":{"rendered":"‘There is nothing more we can do to be prepared’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For all her speed, flair, and finishing instincts, Ellie Kildunne<\/a> insists she\u2019s no solo act. But under the lights at Ashton Gate, in front of a sold-out crowd of 27,000, it was England\u2019s fullback who provided the spark that carried the Red Roses into yet another World Cup final.<\/p>\n

Kildunne scored twice, racked up 225 meters with the ball in hand, and beat 13 defenders as England<\/a> overcame a fierce French challenge 35-17 in Saturday\u2019s Women\u2019s Rugby World Cup<\/a> semifinal. Her Mastercard Player of the Match performance extended England\u2019s unbeaten run to 32 Tests and set up a No. 1 vs No. 2 showdown against Canada<\/a> at Twickenham next weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, anyone in the team could have got that award,\u201d Kildunne said, shaking her head at the accolade. \u201cI just finished what the rest of the team made. The forwards were outstanding today. You look at Meg Jones and the turnovers she was making. That\u2019s what we do as a back three, we finish what the rest of the girls start. It\u2019s incredible when the crowd lights up, but it is a full team effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Video<\/p>\n

\u2018This Energy Never Stops\u2019 \u2013 Women\u2019s Rugby World Cup 2025<\/p>\n

\"Video\u2018This Energy Never Stops\u2019 \u2013 Women\u2019s Rugby World Cup 2025<\/p>\n

France, playing in their ninth straight World Cup semifinal, came with intent. They harried England\u2019s breakdown, scrambled in defence, and struck through centre Nassira Konde<\/a> in the first half and replacement Kelly Arbey<\/a> in the second. With 27 minutes left, the gap was just two points. But just as French momentum built, Kildunne cut through from 40 meters, weaving past three defenders for a try that quieted nerves and sealed the victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m running through for a try, what\u2019s going on in my head? Honestly, just: \u2018I better get over the line!\u2019\u201d she laughed. \u201cI don\u2019t like being tackled, so I run away from people. That\u2019s the secret, if there even is one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Head coach John Mitchell praised Kildunne\u2019s finishing but highlighted the grit that got England through. \u201cOur girls are so driven to be better,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cTo get yourself out of a difficult performance like tonight is a credit to them. Defensively, in the middle of the field, we were very good. There was courage and a lot of heart shown there.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Kildunne, the night was more than redemption for England\u2019s near miss in 2022; it was also personal. She missed last week\u2019s quarterfinal under concussion protocols and admitted it was hard to watch from the sidelines. \u201cI trust what is written for me,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing in a different position last week and supporting the girls, I had faith we would get through. I just had to look after my head and put myself in the right place with the team around me and the medical staff. Everyone goes through adversity, and it\u2019s never going to be an easy ride. I\u2019m really excited we\u2019ve got another chance to go again in the final.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fixture<\/p>\n

Women’s Rugby World Cup<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

France Women <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

England Women <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Asked whether the bruising semifinal might serve England well against Canada, she didn\u2019t hesitate. \u201cAbsolutely. We\u2019ve faced adversity throughout the whole tournament, and not just this tournament, but the last three years. There is nothing more we can do to be prepared. We train really hard and put pressure on each other every day. Anything that comes to us is written for us; we\u2019ve just got to play it out and stick to our process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kildunne\u2019s combination of flair and frankness has made her a central figure in women\u2019s rugby\u2019s growth. This season, she has partnered with brands to design her own boots, which she debuted in Bristol. \u201cIt\u2019s hugely important,\u201d she said. \u201cAny brands that are coming in are starting to see opportunities in how to make the game bigger, better and more exciting. I\u2019d like to think I am creative on and off the pitch. To be backed by brands and wear something I\u2019ve designed makes me feel good and fuels me to keep being better.\u201d<\/p>\n

That creativity was on show in Bristol, but she knows the ultimate stage is still to come. England will run out at Twickenham next Saturday, with a full house expected. \u201cNot really allowed myself to think about it yet,\u201d Kildunne said. \u201cBut it\u2019s something we\u2019ve been wanting for many years. There is nothing to be scared of. We love the crowd, we love the show, and that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re going to do. Being at a sold-out Twickenham is something we should be proud of as a union. As players, we want to inspire, whether it\u2019s your first rugby game or your 100th.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite her breakout display, Kildunne keeps circling back to the team-first message. When asked what it means to score two tries on this stage, she downplayed the personal glory. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean anything, really, because the rest of the team do the work,\u201d she said. \u201cThe crowd are so loud; we feel the love. Keep it coming, this is not the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also insists that England\u2019s preparation hasn\u2019t been about this week alone; it has been a three-year process of building connection, resilience, and trust. \u201cYou don\u2019t prepare for a World Cup final in the last week, you prepare over the last three years,\u201d she said. \u201cEveryone wants to be in that spot, and now we are there. Everything we\u2019ve done and everything we\u2019ve learned has led to this point. We\u2019ve just got to back ourselves and trust the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Captain Zoe Aldcroft<\/a> echoed that theme. \u201cWe knew France<\/a> were going to come after us,\u201d she said. \u201cOur defence, I cannot fault the girls. I\u2019m so proud we\u2019ve got here. We\u2019re embracing the whole experience, and we have so much fight in this team.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Kildunne, the week ahead will be about balance and hard training, but also soaking in the moment. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to enjoy it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s the first week of the tournament or the last. You\u2019ve got to enjoy it because it doesn\u2019t come back around. I\u2019ve tried to stay in my own shoes and be where my feet are. That\u2019s what I\u2019ll try to do this week.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For all her speed, flair, and finishing instincts, Ellie Kildunne insists she\u2019s no solo act. But under the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":159240,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-159239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}