Ellie Kildunne targets Olympics after starring for Red Roses in Six Nations

Red Roses star Ellie Kildunne will target a spot in Great Britain women’s sevens squad in the hope of being selected for this summer’s Paris Olympics.

Kildunne finished this year’s Women’s Six Nations as the tournament’s top try-scorer with nine and was a standout performer in England’s scintillating backline that wowed crowds with their free-flowing attack during their victorious campaign.

The Harlequins flyer, who was deployed at full-back throughout the championship but can also play on the wing, picked up three player-of-the-match accolades for her try-scoring exploits against Italy, Scotland and Ireland.

Kildunne was one of the first recipients of the landmark XVs contracts made available by the Rugby Football Union in 2019. She has become something of a poster-girl for the Red Roses and earlier this month told Telegraph Sport she wanted to be the best player in the world of either gender.

“I’ve been in the sevens before but I had to step away from it when the [professional] contracts came up and that broke my heart because I wasn’t too far away from the Olympics,” Kildunne told BBC Rugby Union Weekly in the aftermath of England’s Grand Slam victory over France.

“It’s always something I’ve wanted to do and I want to be the best player in the world, man or woman, and that comes from experiences.”

Of her Olympics dream, the 24-year-old said: “I’m going into that group fancying my chances to see where I can get. It’s another opportunity to grow and I haven’t been in sevens for a while so I’m looking forward to being in a new environment and finding different levels to my game.”

Kildunne indicated other players from John Mitchell’s side were involved in discussions to join the sevens camp but did not specify who they were, saying they would declare their involvement “when they are ready to”.

She becomes the second player to pivot away from the XVs game after Meg Jones revealed her plan to target a place in the Great Britain squad for this summer’s Games as well as next year’s home XVs World Cup in England earlier this month.

Jones, who has been a revelation in England’s midfield partnership with Tatyana Heard in the Six Nations, will join Great Britain for the Singapore and Madrid legs of the SVNS series in May.

Great Britain women’s sevens side qualified for the Paris Games last June after winning the gold medal at the European Games in Krakow.