England head coach John Mitchell has dropped Ellie Kildunne to the bench for the Red Roses' clash with Canada in Ottawa.

The shock call comes after England suffered their first defeat in four years.

Canada ended the Red Roses' stunning 41-match unbeaten run with a narrow win in Toronto.

Mitchell has now made four changes to his starting XV as England look to bounce back.

Gloucester-Hartpury star Emma Sing takes over at full-back, while Mia Venner comes in on the wing.

Helena Rowland returns at inside centre, with Sadia Kabeya the only change to the pack.

Kildunne, one of England's biggest stars, has been named among the replacements.

Why has Ellie Kildunne been dropped?

Mitchell has not confirmed why Kildunne has lost her starting place.

However, some England fans believe the decision could be down to the balance of the backline.

Sing is a specialist full-back, and her selection has been welcomed by supporters who want to see England try a different approach.

Tony Osborne summed up that view, writing: "Far more balance to the team"

Another supporter, Darren Mills, welcomed the change at full-back.

"A FB at FB, now thats a novelty," he wrote.

The comments suggest some fans believe Sing could offer England a better balance in the back three.

However, that remains a theory among supporters rather than an official reason given by Mitchell.

England fans divided over Kildunne decision

Not everyone agrees with the decision to leave Kildunne on the bench.

Steven Gardiner questioned the call, writing: "Kildunne dropped !? Isn't she our best player"

Guy Williamson felt the England star should have kept her place in a different role.

"Good team g

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Was John Mitchell right to drop Ellie Kildunne to the bench?

Six interesting facts about Ellie Kildunne

Ellie Kildunne is one of the biggest stars in women's rugby, but there is plenty fans might not know about her.

From her rugby-playing brother to tattooing her England coach, here are six surprising facts.

1. Her younger brother is also a rugby star

Rugby talent runs in the Kildunne family.

Ellie's younger brother, Sam Kildunne, joined Doncaster Knights from Ampthill in August 2026.

The winger has also played sevens for England and Great Britain.

Ellie has spoken about her dream of competing at the Olympics alongside her brother.

2. She tattooed John Mitchell

Kildunne bought a £30 tattoo gun online and decided to try tattooing.

She started by practising on herself before finding other willing volunteers.

One of them was England head coach John Mitchell, who let her tattoo him after the 2025 Rugby World Cup.

3. She has her own Barbie doll

Kildunne was chosen for Mattel's Team Barbie campaign.

She joined rugby stars Ilona Maher, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Nassira Konde in the project.

The campaign aimed to inspire young girls and help them build confidence.

4. She is a huge Liverpool fan

Despite growing up in Yorkshire, Kildunne has always supported Liverpool.

Her childhood heroes included Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

She even played football for Farsley Celtic, whose youth team once beat Manchester City's academy side 7-1.

5. She has tattoos dedicated to her family

Kildunne has small dots tattooed on her fingers to represent her parents and younger brother.

She explained that the tattoos help her feel close to her family wherever she goes.

The England star also has a passion for photography and owns several cameras.

6. She wrote 6,000 words about an Olympic legend

Kildunne once turned a simple school typing task into a huge project.

Asked to complete an exercise, she chose to write about Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill.

She ended up producing more than 6,000 words.

Not bad for a school assignment.