ENNIS ESSAY INSPIRED ME TO AIM HIGH

AS A schoolgirl, Ellie Kildunne watched Jess Ennis perform in front of a huge crowd in a London stadium and dreamt of being like her.

She wrote a 6,000-word English assignment on the London 2012 Olympic champion in Year 8 and described the heptathlete as a “massive inspiration”.

A decade later, Kildunne (top) is preparing to take centre stage herself in front of a huge crowd in a London stadium. The Harlequins full-back lines up for England against France at Twickenham in front of 53,000 fans, a world record for a women’s fixture.

“I always knew when I was younger that I wanted to be very successful at something,” she said. “I just didn’t quite know it was rugby.

“I didn’t necessarily want to be Jess Ennis (below), but I always wanted to be as successful as someone like her.

“I’d sit in crowds and think: ‘Imagine when this happens to me’. I didn’t think it would be this soon, but I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Kildunne, 23, is one of seven playing today who started the World Cup final against New Zealand in November.

At stake for both teams is a Six Nations grand slam but, whatever the outcome, it is a significant stepping-stone to England’s goal of selling out the 2025 World Cup final in the same stadium.

The World Cup final showpiece in New Zealand drew a record 42,579 crowd. Before that, the Lionesses won the football Euros at Wembley in front of 87,192.

There were 72,262 in Barcelona on Thursday for Chelsea’s Women’s Champions League semi-final, while more than 50,000 will be at Arsenal on Monday for their semi-final second leg against Wolfsburg.

Kildunne is proud to be doing her bit for the growth of women’s sport and admits to being thrilled when a young boy who had watched her play said to her: ‘I want to be you when I’m older’. She added: “Seeing women succeed is something I hold very close to my heart because I hope other people see us, as a Red Roses team, in the same way.”

There is some way still to go, as she told Jim Hamilton’s podcast, when asked how often she heard the comment: ‘Women shouldn’t play rugby’. She replied: “Loads, all the time, even now. You hear things like: ‘Stick to the kitchen’. It’s so old-fashioned and needs to change.”

If the speed of progress in recent years is any guide, she shouldn’t have to wait too much longer.