Ellie Kildunne MBE
England rugby player
Sport and Exercise Science, 2025
Rugby union player and Olympian Ellie Kildunne started her career in Keighley, before joining Gloucester–Hartpury in 2017. In 2020 she signed for Wasps Women before making her most recent move to Harlequins Women in 2021. Ellie represented Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and has played for England’s Red Roses since 2017. In August 2025, Ellie and the team were crowned World Champions at the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
“St Mary’s wanted to support me through my rugby career. It was the only university that offered that support.”
All roads lead to Twickenham
Having made her England Red Roses debut at the age of 18, Ellie was already playing full-time when she joined St Mary’s University to study Sport and Exercise Science on a scholarship. She says she was very grateful to have been given a scholarship by St Mary’s, as otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to go to university.
During her time at the University, Ellie credits the support she received on her course for getting her through her degree while also thriving in her rugby career. One person that Ellie is particularly appreciative of was her tutor, Jade Salim.
Ellie shares that she would not have been able to get her degree without Jade, and that she was instrumental to her whole university experience. For Ellie, Jade was not just a tutor but also a friend when she was struggling with balancing her rugby and studies.
In July 2025, Ellie graduated from St Mary’s in the University’s Chapel during the University’s 175th Anniversary celebrations. She shares that this was the highlight of her time at St Mary’s, particularly having her parents and brother watch her walk across the stage.
“Wearing a graduation gown and being in the chapel was just very special.”
Throughout her rugby career, Ellie has shown clear talent in both the 15s and 7s setups. Making her England Red Roses debut at the age of 18, Ellie immediately showed her skills by coming off the bench to score a try against Canada. Since then, Ellie has remained a leading player in England’s success.
In 2024, Ellie gave a dazzling performance at the Six Nations Tournament in which she scored nine tries and was named Player of the Championship. A couple months later, she then made her Olympic debut competing for Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the women’s rugby 7s.
This exceptional year saw Ellie named World Rugby Player of the Year 2024.
“The Paris Olympics was a whirlwind. It was honestly out of this world.”
Having narrowly lost in the final of the 2021 Women’s World Cup, the Red Roses were determined to see a different outcome in 2025. Once again, Ellie gave a superb performance throughout her second World Cup and was a leading figure in securing England’s trophy.
During the tournament, Ellie scored five tries including two during the semi-final against France and a solo try in the final against Canada at Twickenham Stadium.
Ellie wasn’t the only former St Mary’s student in the victorious Red Roses squad, with alumnae Jess Breach, Abi Burton and Rosie Galligan also part of the team. All four of them were welcomed back to St Mary’s in November 2025 to receive Honorary Doctorates in Sport in recognition of their significant contributions to English Rugby.
When asked what it’s like to play alongside other St Mary’s students at both a club and international level, Ellie shares that it’s nice having others in the team go through similar experiences of balancing university and rugby. She adds that she’s also grateful to be able to connect with people outside of the rugby circle.
“St Mary's really helped me to do well in my degree as well as in my rugby career.”
After an incredible year, it’s no surprise that Ellie was nominated for BBC’s Sport Personality of the Year award 2025. The public vote saw Ellie take runner up in the prestigious award, and she is also the first ever women’s rugby player to be nominated.
In December 2025, it was announced that Ellie had been awarded an MBE in the King’s 2026 New Year Honours List, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to English rugby.
