Ellie Kildunne hopes to show young female rugby fans the “route to being a world champion” as she aims to “keep growing the game” following England’s World Cup triumph.

Kildunne delivered the individual highlight of the match with a breath-taking solo try as the Red Roses celebrated a resounding 33-13 victory over Canada at a sold-out Allianz Stadium on Saturday that provided closure on their history of near-misses in finals.

Factor in an unprecedented 33-Test winning run and a huge lead at the top of the world rankings and England undeniably stand the summit of women’s rugby.

“I think it’s going to take a long time to sink in,” Kildunne, 26, told Sky Sports. “There have been moments, silent moments when I’ve been driving in my car or having my pasta last night and I find myself getting a little bit emotional.

“It’s a bit overwhelming because you couldn’t have imagined this or expected it but anything you thought would happen has been blown out of the water.

“Yes winning the World Cup is amazing, but in a sell-out stadium I think it’s one of those things you talk about and you never thought it would happen.

“It was a pinch me moment and it will take a while to get used to it.”

‘I’ve only just got my voice back’

The Red Roses celebrations in the aftermath of victory ended in a public party event in Battersea on Sunday.

And Kildunne hopes the memories of the weekend will help inspire the next generation of talent as they aim to create a dynasty of success.

“It was two days of a lot of singing and dancing. I’ve only just got my voice back because I’ve been singing so loud, it’s been good to get around the girls and our friends and family, everybody that has sacrificed so much to get to this moment,” said Kildunne.

“We’ve enjoyed our time. There are a few holidays going on next week.

“I’m looking forward to heading back at home at some point and going down to the club and speaking to people who were not only part of my journey growing up but to see the girls there training who have been inspired by the Red Roses and the World Cup.

“We know the impact we’ve had, we want to keep growing the game and I want to be that person they can look up to and know there is a route to being a world champion. You have to believe in yourself.

‘This team will strive for bigger and better things’

Kildunne is eyeing a successful title defence in Australia in four years but knows that despite their ambition, from now on, they have become the game’s number one target.

“I honestly can’t believe it. I want to believe it because we have been saying for a long time ‘watch us, we’re fantastic and the competition is good’,” she said.

“It’s one of those moments, I can’t believe the amount of people that were there. It started when we got off the bus and walked down to the stadium, you can hear everything but I’ve seen videos on social media and I didn’t realise how many people were there. Singing the national anthem blew me away, it was incredible and I want to keep it carrying on, it gives you fuel to keep pushing. You have to be in the crowd to understand it and be on the pitch to understand it.

“This team will always strive for bigger and better things. We’ve got to take a moment to understand what we have just done. It’s such a special team, I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with anybody else by my side.

“There was such a unit going into the final, that I’ve never felt in any other team, that we’re here for something special and the sky is the limit. We want to get better, we want it to become more professional at grassroots level and women’s rugby to be an opportunity for everybody.”