The full-back played an instrumental role as the Red Roses triumphed on home soil at a packed Twickenham last September but has revealed that she found it difficult to adjust to returning to club duty for Harlequins in front of less than 3,000 supporters.

Kildunne told BBC Sport: "You are playing in front of a sold-out crowd at Twickenham, you have just won a World Cup, and the next minute you are playing over the road in front of a slither of the amount of people.

"There was that little bit of dip in 'Why am I doing this?' I always say it is for the happiness and inspiring people and every room I walk into.

"My expectation gets higher of myself all the time. If I played 8/10 then I feel I might as well have played 2/10. I am going to have the highest standards for myself to keep on striving to get better."

She continued: "I needed to rework that out – how am I going to keep pushing myself from within, to keep wanting to do my best and stay completely focused.

"I went from playing Guitar Hero every night with my team-mates to going back to living on my own in Reading. Suddenly I was like, 'Wow, I feel really alone.'

"There is going to be good and bad emotions and things that I want to talk about. Like a dip, which is natural after a peak, but who do I talk to?

"It made me value the times I have got with people."

England will begin their bid to win an eighth consecutive Women's Six Nations against Ireland on Saturday (11.04.26) but Kildunne already has eyes on the 2029 World Cup in Australia.

She said: "I still want to be the best player in the world and to keep on playing my rugby.

"I want to win another World Cup. There is so much I still want to do."