Canterbury has today announced flying England full-back Ellie Kildunne and New Zealand star Eloise Blackwell as the brand’s latest ambassadors.

Fresh from helping England to become triple Six Nations winners at the weekend, Kildunne will wear Canterbury kit and will also provide feedback and advice on the future development of Canterbury’s female rugby product range.

2017 World Cup winner Blackwell will play a similar role in product development with Canterbury’s team in Australia and New Zealand ahead of the re-arranged World Cup.

Speaking about the new partnership, Wasps star Kildunne says: “I’m looking forward to working with Canterbury on their extended range of women’s products in the future. As a brand they are synonymous with rugby and creating quality products and so I can’t wait to see what we can produce to ensure that every woman who wants to play rugby has the right kit to do so.”

Blackwell, who has played 43 test matches for New Zealand, and scored 10 tries, is among the best female rugby players in the world, famous for her powerful, dynamic game and physicality.

“I’m so happy to have signed with Canterbury,” says Blackwell. “As a Kiwi rugby player, I know the deep history Canterbury has with both the game and New Zealand as a whole. I’m delighted to represent such an iconic New Zealand brand ahead of getting to defend the World Cup on home soil in 2022.”

Like Canterbury, Kildunne is passionate about promoting the women’s game as much as possible and is hopeful that this partnership will enable her to continue doing so.

She added: “Hopefully young girls will see more and more of female rugby players through partnerships like this. I just want to show them that this is where we belong.”

Simon Rowe, Global Head of Sports Marketing, at Canterbury, said: “At Canterbury, our number one focus is making sure that rugby is a game which feels accessible to everybody and we hope our partnerships with Ellie and Eloise will help us achieve this goal.

“Ellie is one of the most exciting players in the UK right now and often creates something out of nothing. She is a magician on the pitch and sort of player who can really help to inspire the next generation of young girls in this country. Eloise is one of the biggest names in the sport and also a fantastic role model. She is a real trailblazer and that makes them a perfect fit for us.”