Red Roses matchwinner Ellie Kildunne has allayed fears she picked up an injury late in England’s 35-17 Women’s Rugby World Cup semi-final victory over France in Bristol.

The 26-year-old full-back, who made her return to the side after missing last weekend’s quarter-final win over Scotland due to concussion, scored two stunning long-range tries as the Red Roses secured a home World Cup final place against Canada next Saturday.

Kildunne appeared to limp off in discomfort at Ashton Gate in the closing stages, but told Sky Sports after the game she has no injury concerns.

“The legs are fine, I was just tired, really tired!” Kildunne said.

“It was a very competitive match, with lots of running and lots of tackling. We’ll take the next few days to recovered, reset and get ourselves ready for the final.

“The game was incredible. You look at the half-time score and how tight it was, we needed to come back together, regroup and that’s what we did. We came out all guns blazing.

“There’s no feeling I love more then getting on the pitch. And it’s not just getting on the pitch, it’s doing it with this team. I’d do anything for them.”

Speaking earlier at his post-match press conference, England head coach John Mitchell also played down fears Kildunne may have been an early doubt for next Saturday’s World Cup final.

“At this point in time, nothing has been sent my way. Normally, it is pretty early, so fingers crossed.

“We’ll need to go through the medical process and stuff, but I actually haven’t spoken to anyone, so we’ll just need to go through all our next day visits and assessments.

“She’s special, isn’t she? Because she deserves her accolades as last year’s World Player of the Year. She’s still very young. Everyone puts her on a poster, everyone superstars her, but she’s a very humble girl.”

‘No one will remember early struggles vs France if become World Cup winners’

A nervy Red Roses performance eventually saw them kick on to defeat France at Ashton Gate and secure their place in a home final.

Huge tournament favourites, England were totally outplayed by France in the first half in Bristol but the visitors could only score once despite a wealth of pressure, possession and territory.

That was never likely to be enough against a squad as strong as England’s, who scored five tries through Kildunne (two), hooker Amy Cokayne, lock Abbie Ward and centre Meg Jones.

For Mitchell, England’s first half struggles aren’t a concern.

“We’ve earned the right to contest the final, so it’s a new game in itself,” the head coach said.

“No one really remembers how you get there. No one will ever remember how we won today over time. So, we’ve just got to stay on process, narrow our focus.

“We’ve got a short week, we’ve got to recover well and have some fun and really enjoy the week as well with it being in our country.

“The two best teams in the world are in the final, how good is that? We’re one, Canada are one, and they deserve to be there because they’ve been playing outstanding as well.”

What’s next?

England’s Red Roses will now host Canada in the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham on Saturday September 27 (4pm kick-off).

France will face defending champions New Zealand earlier on the same day in the Bronze final at Twickenham (12.30pm).