Ellie Kildunne had just lived every rugby player’s dream. She scored a stunning solo try in the World Cup final, helped England beat Canada in front of 82,000 roaring fans at Allianz Stadium, and lifted the trophy as England claimed their first World Cup title in 11 years.
Then, just four weeks later, the high came crashing down.She was back playing for Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop in front of just a couple of thousand people.
The contrast hit her hard.”You go from a sold-out stadium and winning the World Cup to playing across the road in front of a tiny fraction of that crowd,” the 26-year-old told BBC Sport.
“There was this little dip where I thought, why am I even doing this?”For someone who plays the game to bring happiness and inspire others, the sudden emptiness felt confusing. Her standards for herself are sky-high — if she plays an 8 out of 10, she feels like it might as well have been a 2.
That drive to keep improving is what makes her special, but it can also be exhausting.The biggest shock was going from the constant team buzz — nights spent playing Guitar Hero with her teammates — to returning to her flat in Reading and living alone.”Suddenly I was like, ‘wow, I feel really alone’,” she said.She admitted it was a natural emotional drop after such a massive peak, but it left her wondering who to talk to about those tough feelings.
The experience made her value her time with people even more.The road to the finalKildunne was named the 2024 World Rugby women’s player of the year and was one of England’s stars going into the tournament. But she had a tough moment when she suffered a concussion in the pool stage against Australia and missed the quarter-final.She battled back, started the semi-final against France, and scored two tries — including another brilliant solo effort — to silence any doubts before the final.
Looking back, she says she didn’t play her best against Australia, and the concussion added extra pressure: Will I make it back in time? For the semi? For the final?But she thrives in those big moments. “I don’t crumble under that pressure — I kind of rise to it,” she said. “And that’s largely because of the people around me.”What’s next for EllieHarlequins are pushing for the play-offs in the Premiership Women’s Rugby, and Kildunne has rediscovered her fire. England open their Women’s Six Nations campaign against Ireland this Saturday at Allianz Stadium —
the same place where they won the World Cup — with more than 70,000 tickets already sold. She says returning there will feel “very special.”