Watch every game of the Women’s Rugby World Cup live and on-demand via Stan Sport.<\/a><\/p>\nEngland, top of the world rankings, have won six successive Six Nations
Grand Slams and also defeated New Zealand’s Black Ferns in each of the teams’
past three meetings.<\/p>\n
Yet they have lost five of the last six World Cup finals to New Zealand,
with 2014: when England beat Canada in the showpiece match their most
recent global 15-a-side title.<\/p>\n
But for 25-year-old full-back Kildunne, this year’s edition is an
opportunity to put things right, with England launching the tournament against
the United States in Sunderland on Friday, August 22.<\/p>\n
“We’ve been building to this moment for the past three years since the last
World Cup and we’re more than ready,” she told AFP in an interview in London.<\/p>\n
“When the last
World Cup happened obviously it was heartbreak, it was heavy and that’s only
because we wanted it, that’s because we cared about it so much.<\/p>\n
“And when you’re out in New Zealand you have no idea what else is going on
outside of the world.<\/p>\n
“I felt a bit of guilt that I thought we were going to change women’s
sports, women’s rugby if we won and it felt heavy when we didn’t.<\/p>\n
“But when we came back to England, I realised it was already changed, we’d
already made an impact.”<\/p>\n
Professional women’s sport is on the rise in England and in June, the
Lionesses retained their European
Championship title by beating world champions Spain in a penalty shoot-out in
the final in Basel.<\/p>\n
“We’ve learned so much from that and how much hard work and how sometimes
it doesn’t look pretty,” said Kildunne.<\/p>\n
“But if you believe, if you’ve got that grit about you, if you really want
something, you can make anything achievable. And that’s something that I
definitely learned from (them).”<\/p>\n
Kildunne, the reigning women’s World Rugby player of the year, has scored a 41 tries in 53 Tests for England and is one of the most
high-profile figures in her sport, as reflected by a large following on
Instagram.<\/p>\n
But the star was clear on how she maintained a balance
between her life on and off the field.<\/p>\n
“When I’m in rugby mode, I’m in rugby mode,” she said. <\/p>\n
“When I’m away from
rugby, I’m away from rugby, and I still have the rugby thoughts are going on
in my head.<\/p>\n
“Sometimes it might be nine o’clock at night and suddenly I think of a new
move and I’m like I need to message the coach because I’ve just thought of
this move because I’m obsessed.<\/p>\n
“Rugby is the priority, always will be the priority and I wouldn’t have the
social media following that I have got if it wasn’t for the rugby.”<\/p>\n
The Red Roses appointed New
Zealand’s John Mitchell as their coach in 2023 in a bid to help them take the
elusive last step to World Cup glory.<\/p>\n
Mitchell, a former head coach of the men’s All Blacks, has a reputation for
being a stern disciplinarian, but Kildunne said she had seen another side of
the 61-year-old’s character.<\/p>\n
“I love him…he is not afraid to be unapologetically himself and what that
does is it creates an environment that’s safe to be yourself, authentically
yourself,” she explained.<\/p>\n
“He’ll tell you straight if you’re getting something wrong and he wants the
best for you.<\/p>\n
“You trust what he’s saying, you trust when he’s been
lighthearted and when he’s been serious for a reason.<\/p>\n
“I love what he’s done for the team. Coming in with such an open heart and
vulnerability, that he’s shown, allows us as players to give that back to him.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"England star Ellie Kildunne believes the tournament hosts are “more than
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