England rugby World Cup winner Ellie Kildunne has been shortlisted for BBC Sports activities Character of the 12 months
Ellie Kildunne is the only rugby nominee up for 2025 BBC Sports activities Character of the 12 months (Picture: Alex Davidson – World Rugby, World Rugby through Getty Photographs)
Rugby World Cup hero Ellie Kildunne is trying to trigger an upset as an enormous outsider to win BBC Sports activities Character of the 12 months. Nevertheless’s England’s talisman has forged doubt over her worldwide rugby profession by refusing to rule out a possible transfer to a contentious new breakaway league.
The total-back was one of many standout performers on the 2025 Girls’s Rugby World Cup, scoring 5 tries all through the match as England secured their third World Cup crown with a commanding 33-13 win over Canada. After being named the World Rugby Girls’s 15s Participant of the 12 months in 2024, the Yorkshire-born star was recognised for her distinctive performances with a SPOTY nomination. And this makes her the primary ladies’s rugby participant to be shortlisted for the esteemed award.
A 40/1 outsider with bookmakers, Kildunne will compete towards Hannah Hampton, Chloe Kelly, Luke Littler, Rory McIlroy and Lando Norris for the sought-after title. This yr’s SPOTY gong is because of be offered on Thursday night at a glamorous televised occasion in Salford.
Nevertheless, Kildunne’s Crimson Roses profession may very well be prematurely ended after she confessed she can be “open to something” concerning her future. This features a swap to the brand new R360 league that might lead to her being barred from worldwide obligation.
The breakaway competitors, led by former England participant and Royal Member of the family Mike Tindall, has despatched shockwaves via the rugby world. R360 has a proposed launch date of 2028, and greater than 200 gamers have reportedly signed provisional contract agreements.
Nonetheless, eight main Check nations, together with England, have stated any R360 recruits shall be prohibited from persevering with their worldwide careers. This has triggered doubts concerning the extent of expertise that can signal if it means they’ll now not symbolize their nations in future.
Kildunne dazzled followers along with her attempt within the Rugby World Cup remaining (Picture: PA)
Based on studies, Kildunne is seen as a primary goal for the competitors following her distinctive summer season. It is understood the brand new league is providing potential gamers annual salaries of as much as £740,000 for a 16-match season.
When requested concerning the prospect of becoming a member of R360 on BBC Radio 4’s As we speak programme, Kildunne stated: “It does not imply I might take it, however I might like to grasp the league a bit extra to see if it is a possibility I might wish to take.
“There’s going to be a lot of funding into the sport now, a lot of modifications that folks will see, and I feel that is the course rugby must go. We have made one thing occur, and that is going to come back with speaking factors and debates. This league remains to be one thing we do not know an excessive amount of about.”
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Kildunne is at present contracted at Harlequins, who’re positioned fifth within the Premiership Girls’s Rugby desk after six video games. Kildunne beforehand performed for Gloucester-Hartpury and Wasps earlier than becoming a member of Quins in 2021.
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