Red Roses star Ellie Kildunne told Sky News that she hopes England's Rugby World Cup win does more for the sport.
England rugby star Ellie Kildunne says girls playing rugby needs to stop being an "anomaly".
The 26-year-old full-back, whose early try kicked off the Red Rose's triumphant Rugby World Cup win over Canada, told Sky News sports presenter Jacquie Beltrao that she hopes the success of this England team does more for the sport.
"It's more than just winning the World Cup. Put the trophy to the side and just look around the stadium. We've done it," she said.
"We've done what we wanted to do. We've inspired so many people. We've got people with their bums on seats and that whole moment is something that I will try to relive over and over again for a long time."
Having had a passion for rugby since she was young, Kildunne said she hopes the sport becomes available for all girls to play in school, which historically hasn't been the case.
She said: "I just want young girls to know that it's nothing out of the normal to be a rugby player, that there's role models, that you can do whatever you want to do in life.
"For rugby, I hope more investment comes into the game at Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR) level and grassroots level, that more girls pick up a rugby ball, but also that it's taught in schools.
"Rugby is more than just throwing a ball around the pitch. The values that it shares with you is something that I don't think you get in any other team sport.
"So like when the Lionesses won the Euros and then schools started bringing in football for girls. I want the same for rugby as well. It needs to stop being an anomaly that a girl plays rugby.
"We want to professionalise the PWR more so and keep on pushing for that being the best premiership league in the world. And players will get better. Players can actually invest themselves into the game of rugby rather than having to work two jobs."
'I will never see myself as an icon'
A Rugby Football Union (RFU) survey of female rugby players and coaches found last year that the biggest challenges of the sport include the negative perception of female players, unequal opportunities, inappropriate kit and players' menstrual cycle.
Helping to break down perceptions of female rugby players, Kildunne is one of four international players being made into a Barbie doll.
When asked what her reaction was to the doll, Kildunne said: "I just couldn't believe it. Icons get Barbies and I would never see myself as an icon. I will never see myself as an icon. I am just a girl that plays rugby.
"I just thought, really me? You want to make one of me? But, you know, I felt very proud, giddy, very excited.
"I didn't play with Barbies when I was growing up. I think one of the reasons was I was outside playing rugby most of the time. But number two, none of the Barbies really looked like me.
"I saw a Barbie as this really girly girl in a dress, and that's not saying that you can't be that when you're a rugby player. But for those young girls that don't play with Barbies because they don't see the resemblance, or they feel like they could never be a Barbie doll, now there's something that shows that you can."
Each players' doll is a one-off, meaning it is not on sale to the public.
'The bin men have recognised me'
For Kildunne herself, what does life look like after winning the World Cup?
"The bin men have recognised who I am," she tells Beltrao, adding that she has also been recognised in random shops, and in the pub.
She said: "If I'm honest, when that whistle went [during the final], I didn't really know what to do myself. I didn't even know that the whistle had gone.
"Then when I realised the whistle had gone, it was almost just pride. I don't want to say relief because it wasn't a relief. I never doubted this. I never had doubt in the team."
The player said she is now going to focus on having a well-deserved holiday before getting back on the pitch with the Harlequins, the rugby union team she has played for since 2021.
英格兰红玫瑰队球星埃莉·基尔邓恩向天空新闻表示，她希望英格兰队赢得橄榄球世界杯能为这项运动带来更大推动。
英格兰橄榄球明星埃莉·基尔敦表示，女孩打橄榄球不应再被视为“反常现象”。
这位26岁的边后卫在比赛中率先达阵，为英格兰红玫瑰队战胜加拿大、赢得橄榄球世界杯胜利拉开序幕。她接受天空体育新闻主持人杰奎·贝尔特拉奥采访时表示，希望英格兰队的成功能为这项运动带来更大推动。
她说：“这不仅仅是赢得世界杯。暂且把奖杯放在一边，看看这座体育场吧。我们做到了。”
我们已经完成了既定目标，激励了无数人。观众们座无虚席，那个辉煌时刻将成为我长久以来不断重温的珍贵记忆。
基尔邓自幼热爱橄榄球运动，她表示希望这项运动能向所有在校女生开放——而这在历史上从未实现过。
她表示："我只想让年轻女孩们明白，成为一名橄榄球运动员并非什么特别的事，这里有榜样可循，人生中你可以追求任何你想做的事。"
对于英式橄榄球运动，我希望能有更多资金投入到英超女子橄榄球联赛（PWR）和基层赛事中，让更多女孩接触这项运动，同时也希望橄榄球能走进学校课堂。
橄榄球远不止是在球场上抛接球的运动。它所传递的价值观，是其他团队运动无法比拟的。
就像当初英格兰女足赢得欧洲杯后，学校开始为女生开设足球课程一样。我希望橄榄球运动也能如此。女生打橄榄球不该再被视为异类。
我们希望进一步提升英超女子橄榄球联赛（PWR）的职业化水平，持续推动其成为全球顶级的职业联赛。球员们也将因此受益——他们能够全身心投入橄榄球运动，而不必再为生计兼职其他工作。
“我从不认为自己是偶像”
英格兰橄榄球联合会（RFU）去年对女性橄榄球运动员和教练进行的一项调查发现，这项运动面临的最大挑战包括对女性球员的负面看法、机会不平等、不合适的装备以及球员的月经周期问题。
为打破人们对女子橄榄球运动员的刻板印象，基尔邓恩（Kildunne）作为四位国际球员之一，被制作成了芭比娃娃。
当被问及对这款玩偶的反应时，基尔敦表示："我简直不敢相信。只有偶像才能拥有芭比娃娃，而我从不认为自己是偶像，也永远不会这么想。我只是个打橄榄球的普通女孩。"
我当时心想：真的是我吗？你们想复制一个我？但说实话，我感到无比自豪、晕眩又兴奋。
我小时候并不玩芭比娃娃。我想其中一个原因是我大部分时间都在户外打橄榄球。但其次，没有一个芭比娃娃长得像我。
我曾看到芭比娃娃被塑造成一个穿着裙子的典型甜美女孩形象，但这并非意味着橄榄球运动员就不能如此打扮。对于那些因为觉得自己与芭比毫无相似之处、或认为自己永远不可能成为芭比娃娃而拒绝玩芭比的年轻女孩们，现在终于有了一个能向她们证明‘你可以’的新选择。
每位玩家的玩偶均为孤品，这意味着它们不会向公众出售。
垃圾清运工们已经认出了我
对基尔邓恩本人而言，赢得世界杯后的生活会是怎样的？
“连收垃圾的工人都认出我了，”她告诉贝尔特朗，并补充说自己在随机走进的商店和酒吧里也被人认出来过。
她坦言道：“说实话，当决赛结束的哨声响起时，我自己都不知道该做什么。我甚至没意识到比赛已经结束了。”
当我意识到终场哨声响起时，心中几乎只剩下骄傲。我不愿用‘如释重负’来形容，因为这并非解脱——我从未怀疑过这一刻，也始终坚信团队的胜利。
这位球员表示，她将先好好享受一个应得的假期，之后便会重返赛场，继续为自2021年效力的橄榄球联盟球队哈林奎恩斯（Harlequins）效力。
SKY Top News｜英格兰红玫瑰队球星呼吁：女孩打橄榄