Ellie Kildunne is aiming to make up for missing out on the Olympics three years ago by picking a place on Great Britain’s rugby sevens team for this summer’s event in Paris.
The 24-year-old helped Team GB qualify for the 2020 Games, which were delayed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but did not play in Tokyo as he was offered a full-time contract by the RFU. The traditional 15-year-old 15-a-side rugby union form in 2019 had proved too good to pass up.
But after helping England retain their Guinness Six Nations title and secure their third successive Grand Slam with a 42-21 away win over France last Saturday, versatile defender Kildunne is determined to secure a place in the Olympia -Secure squad 2024 after he was unable to compete last time around.
“It’s still a big question that I have to answer myself,” Kildunne said Sky sports news. “I was part of the Group of Seven before the last Olympics and unfortunately I had to take a different route and head to the World Championships instead.”
“It was always the case that I was almost there and didn’t quite use it. I talk about wanting to be the best player in the world and that comes from taking chances and making leaps, which I do.”
“I’m just looking forward to what awaits me. Being part of a new group and connecting with a new team will take me to places I don’t know yet.”
Kildunne was one of the stars of the Red Roses team that once again beat everyone else to claim the women’s Six Nations title for the sixth time in a row. After crossing the white line nine times, he became the tournament’s top try-scorer.
The Harlequins player praised the forwards for the hard work they put in to create finishing opportunities and also praised them for having more opportunities to get the ball in their hands under head coach John Mitchell.
“I feel the confidence and excitement for every game and every time I get an opportunity I just take it,” Kildunne said.
“That’s exactly where we are at the moment and as a team we are playing differently. We used to play a lot about the strikers, now it’s about the damage the strikers can do and how they can resolve the damage.’
“I absolutely love receiving the ball and the space that is created, but also the space that I can create myself. It’s also pretty cool to play in front of the crowd we played in front of.”
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During his first Six Nations season as women’s head coach, New Zealand’s Mitchell has implemented an approach that has made England less reliant on forward power than before.
Kildunne has no doubt she has benefited from it and believes all of her teammates, regardless of position, have benefited too.
“Our mantra was: What do you mean by releasing the handbrake? “What does that look like?” Kildunne said. “It’s different for every person and it just gives you so much confidence to try things.”
“We don’t want to be boxed in, we want to see where we can go and where our abilities can take us.”
“That’s what he did; He shows a lot of heart, he makes us train hard, he pushes us and that brings out the best in us when we are on the pitch.”
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