World Player of the Year Ellie Kildunne Extends Harlequins Contract

Ellie Kildunne, recognized as the World Player of the Year and named player of the championship in this year’s Six Nations, has committed to Harlequins with a new “multi-year” contract. The England full-back boasts a record of four consecutive Six Nations titles and participated in the 2022 World Cup final. At 25 years old, she has accumulated 24 tries across 46 international appearances and also competed for Great Britain in rugby sevens at the Paris Olympics. World Rugby designated Kildunne as the sport’s top female player in November. Head coach Ross Chisholm expressed his enthusiasm on the club’s website, stating: “We’re thrilled Ellie has renewed with the club, she’s central to how we want to play the game and encapsulates exactly what it means to play the Quins way,” He further added, “She’s really stepped up as a leader in this group over this season. To see her working alongside the young English talent we’ve got coming through is really exciting for what the future holds for this team.” The specific duration of the contract has not been disclosed by Harlequins. Her world player of the year trophy was presented to Kildunne by Ugo Monye, a former winger for both England and Harlequins. Kildunne commenced her professional career at Gloucester-Hartpury, subsequently moving to Wasps in 2020. She then transferred to Harlequins a year later, where she has since made 40 appearances in the ‘quarters’ shirt. Her debut for the Red Roses occurred in 2017, and she holds two Six Nations Grand Slam titles. In 2024, Kildunne was honored as the Women’s Six Nations player of the year, having scored 14 tries across nine Tests. Chisholm further commented: “Ellie is always striving to be better, even after winning world player of the year she’s talking about what she’s going to do in 2025. ” He concluded, “We’re excited to see what that’ll be in a Quins shirt over the next few years.” Since her transfer from Wasps in 2021, Kildunne has played 40 matches for Harlequins.