England star Ellie Kildunne has said there was no sense of relief after winning the Women’s Rugby World Cup, just pride in their achievement.
The Red Roses put the cherry on top of a remarkable occasion at Twickenham on Saturday with a 33-13 drubbing of Canada.
After England went behind early, Kildunne — as she so often does — kick started her side’s afternoon with a sensational individual effort, beating several defenders to score their opening try.
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It was the beginning of an onslaught from the Red Roses, who were dominant for the vast majority of the match.
The victory caps off a three-year journey for many players, including Kildunne, who were part of the side that lost the 2022 final in New Zealand. The defeat to the Black Ferns was their only loss in 63 matches ahead of the clash with Canada.
Their dominance, as well as heavy financial investment from the RFU, and the tournament being held on home soil, contributed to their status as heavy favourites to win the competition this year.
Asked if she was relieved to have finally won the cup and complete what most expected them to do, Kildunne said: “I don’t feel the pressure in the first place, so there’s no sense of relief. I’m just proud.
“I’m excited for what’s to come for women’s rugby, but pressure just means people care and you set an expectation that you need to meet, or people expect you to meet.
“I love pressure. I love that people want to come watch us. I love that people expect me to play well and the team as well, but there’s no sense of relief.”
The England bus was welcomed by thousands of fans as they made their way into the stadium, with a record 81,885 crowd watching on at Twickenham.
Kildunne said walking into the stadium was a dream moment.
“I don’t think it will sink in for a long time,” Kildunne said.
“I’m very much in the moment and when we came off the bus and on all the staircases, everyone was there, that felt like the moment and then it was just focusing on our rugby.
“The final whistle went, I burst out crying, I saw my mum and dad, they cried, that made me cry again.
“But it’s going to take a little bit of time for this to sink in because it’s something that not many people have the opportunity to feel, but right now it’s about celebrating with girls.”
