Ellie Kildunne has signed for Bristol Bears Women ahead of the 2026/27 Premiership Women’s Rugby season, completing her move after leaving Harlequins.
The England full-back, a World Cup winner and one of the most recognisable attacking players in the women’s game, has chosen Bristol as the next step of her career after a five-year spell in south west London. Bristol confirmed the signing on Friday in their announcement of Kildunne’s move, with the club presenting the deal as a major statement for their women’s programme.
Kildunne said Bristol felt like “the perfect club” for this stage of her career, pointing to the Bears’ ambition, style and the atmosphere around Ashton Gate. The move also brings her into a squad that has been building a clearer identity in Premiership Women’s Rugby, with Bristol now adding a proven international game-breaker to their backline.
Bristol land a statement signing for their back-three
The timing matters because Kildunne is arriving at peak influence rather than as a development bet. Bristol are not simply adding depth; they are signing a player with the pace, footwork and profile to change how opponents defend them.
Head coach Scott Lawson called the deal “a huge statement of intent”, while Bristol’s own announcement underlined her status as World Player of the Year and one of the sport’s elite talents. For Harlequins, the departure removes a headline player. For Bristol, it gives their 2026/27 plans an immediate centrepiece and a signing supporters can build expectation around.
Kildunne’s first appearances in Bears colours will now be watched closely, especially given the likely tactical fit between her counter-attacking instincts and Bristol’s appetite to play with width and tempo.
