England coach John Mitchell lauded the “phenomenal” Ellie Kildunne after their 35-17 Women’s World Cup semi-final win over France in Bristol on Saturday.

Fullback Dunne, who missed the tournament favourites’ quarter-final rout of Scotland with concussion, scored England’s lone try of a first half that ended with her side just 7-5 ahead.

But England ran in four tries after the break, including a superb solo score from Kildunne, the reigning World Player of the Year, whose brilliant cross-field sprint from just inside the French half saw her evade several defenders.

“She was pretty special today wasn’t she?” said Mitchell of Kildunne after England reached their seventh successive World Cup final. “If she gets a bit of space, she is phenomenal, isn’t she?”

England had swept all before them on their way to the last four, with this latest success extending their world record of consecutive wins to 32.

But England, unbeaten since losing the 2022 World Cup final to New Zealand, were pushed hard in the opening 40 minutes before recording their 17th successive victory over France.

It was arguably just what Mitchell’s No 1-ranked team needed ahead of a final against second-placed Canada, who ended double-defending champions New Zealand’s 11-year unbeaten run at the World Cup with an emphatic 34-19 win in Friday’s first semi-final in Bristol, southwest England.

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“I knew they [France] were going to come at us,” said Mitchell. “We just had to win, fight our way out of it. We were nice and calm at half-time.”

England have not won the World Cup since 2014, when beat Canada in a Paris final.

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