The Power Pod (00:00.194) This new partnership then with Canterbury, designed to ensure every player in the league is equipped with three pairs of high-performance Canterbury rugby boots. I wanted to find out what's your relationship been like with boots? Yeah, so my relationship with boots, I've always seen boots as we should as our tool. And I obviously signed with Canterbury a few years ago now. And before that, I was avid of wearing Nikes and they had to be the most flashy.

football boots that you can find because in my head I've either got to wear bright or white boots because it makes me feel fast and when I first had that conversation with Canterbury about signing with them I said look I love the brand I don't love the boots they're quite big and they won't allow me to perform at my elite level wearing the boots and since that point they've developed

like new boots, faster boots, lighter boots, and they were white and now they do them in different colour ways as well and I've worn those boots ever since and you know with having the white boots I've often got them customised into by two young boys called the Two Customisers from Loughborough and they've made them like personal to me. But yeah there's this whole mindset thing about if I've got dark boots on it makes me feel like I've got loads of mud stuck to my feet and

it makes me feel like I'm running slow. So that's why I've always worn the white boots or the bright boots and Canterbury have done that. And also they're really, they are really light. they are rugby boots. I remember one time my dad gave me some rugby boots that had metal toe caps, him. So my kicking wasn't great that season, but with the development of the boots, I've seen the benefits that it's had in my game that I can.

I don't have to wear them in and go through the blisters and all of that. They've just been brilliant and I think it's a very good campaign in showing that all players can have that same opportunity.

The Power Pod (02:05.622) Yeah, I mean, I recently bought a new pair of touch boots and they ended up being the bright fluorescent yellow ones. I still felt, you know, 30 years wearing boots, I still was like, God, people are going to take the mick out of me. They're going to think that I'm trying to be some flash stepper because I've got these bright yellow boots compared to some understated black ones. I mean, is that still a thing? Well, thing is, I think people say it's a thing, but I don't believe it is. think, you know, we wear uniform and your boots are something that

You can wear whatever you want. can make, you know, like when we're playing for the Red Roses, you can make a white outfit pop with a bright yellow boot, like you're saying. Or if you want to go a bit more understated, wear dark boots. And I think that it's just down to what people like. I love shopping for new boots and I've always loved, you know, being able to make that my choice.

to have that on top of it being a good boot because I've worn boots in the past that I haven't liked and it really does impact your game and you end up thinking about your feet more than you are catching the ball. Yeah, I see. Yeah, nice. I mean, in the past, we've seen women's players in the league publicly asking for help with boots. guess, you know, this is this is going to help with those those sorts of moments. I guess as the women's game grows, how do you feel, Ellie, about balancing that conversation? Life as an elite athlete wanting to show the sport.

at its very best, perhaps alongside those moments where you might have to shout about things not being good enough? Yeah, I think it's always important to get the right balance. I think it's really easy to go down the rabbit hole of saying, the women's game is far behind the men's game or it's not good in this area or that area. But if you look at the growth, even in the last year, the last two years, it's probably growing way faster than the men's game ever did. So I think it's

It's easy to say the things that aren't so good, but actually we're creating our own little circle and we're creating the game into a place that is different to what's out there. And I think it's really important to shine light on the sponsors and the people that are involved outside of being a player, getting into that position because us as players, we're getting better. You see the league now, this season compared to last season even.

The Power Pod (04:27.628) and every game you don't actually know who's going to win and even if you're going to have your money on one team it's a closer game than you expect so that comes with the know the hard work that people put in but also the support that we get as rugby players now is way better than it's ever been before and it's only going to go one way and it's going to keep on growing keep on getting better and you know travel at a speed that I don't think we can quite imagine because we're living it for the first time.

And I'm excited to be part of it and push it to new levels. It's really important that we keep on pushing for more because it's not very long career. And the game is just going to get more more competitive. We're going to get more people coming down to watch us and it's going to grow to a place that it hasn't been before. Now, Harlequins in third, how good does that sound? Yeah, I mean, it's been a little while since we've been in that position and

You know, this season has just felt so good. I'm very much aware that, you know, we've got another half of the season still to come with a lot of big games back to back. Did you hear our stats about coming back from a bye week? No, I haven't heard. I heard them. I heard you guys talking about how good we are at the moment, and that was a nice little thing to hear, but I haven't heard the stats. Well, every team that's come back from a bye week has lost their next game, Ellie.

That sounds like challenge to me but we're in a really good spot and something that I've said to the girls is unlike other seasons I don't get stressed when the other team's got the ball. Our defence is one of the best it's ever been and as a fullback I don't want the Sarah Burns of the world running through and in previous seasons I'd always be on alert that

I can't shut the gate on the edge because someone's going to break through the middle, whereas this season I've got full trust in everybody that I can do my job without worrying about other people's. And that's been one of the biggest differences that I've seen within the Quinn's team that defensively we're very sound. even in attack, we've signed some new people, Alex Callender being one of them, that she does her job, not just...

The Power Pod (06:49.348) as good as she can for her but for everyone around her. You tell her to do something, she does it and we've got trust within the group and I look forward to training, I look forward to playing because I feel like each week we're building on the previous week and I think it's really important to mention the impact that Ross Chisholm's had on the team. I've had conversations with a few of the players and they've said that they've got ultimate trust in him. He says something in the week, it happens in the weekend.

talk about a certain move that he thinks is going to work, we do it and we break the line. And to have that connection with your coach as well and have full trust, not even in your teammates, but in your coach and the staff around you, is taking us to new places. And I think, you know, I've been in this team where I've said, we're going to win it, we're going to win it. But I think we're in a really good place this season to do that. And I think we've gone from being the underdogs in the past few games to now being the team that everyone wants to beat. Yeah.

Yeah, it's certainly coming together. I mean, you're heading to Loughborough next weekend. Obviously, Red Roses team-mates Sadia Cabello has come back, Emily Scarratt in that line-up as well. I mean, what do you make of Loughborough's season? If anything, it speaks to me as it looks a little bit like the sort of seasons Queen's have had, you know, in the last year or two. Yeah, for sure. individually, how I analyse teams when I go into play against them, I look at individual players first. I think we're in a...

very fortunate position that we know a lot of the players internationally. We've got not just Red Roses, parts of the team, but you know, you've got Kelter, you've got Chrissie on the wing, so you've got internationals all playing on the pitch and I go through each player and I say what they're good at and how can I get under the skin? How can we make one of their work-ons an advantage to us? And individually, Loughborough have got incredible players with

immense skill and experience and a team isn't as good as an individual. You can have loads of brilliant individuals but like as you've seen even with Queens in the previous seasons, it's okay having loads of individuals but if it's not quite clicking on the pitch, if it's not quite clicking all together, that's when you can get under the skin and that's something that I'll be doing this week looking at the previous game that we played against them because it wasn't perfect.

The Power Pod (09:08.036) and also the games that they've played in the run up to this weekend and the games that we've played and how can we get around them because they have got some brilliant players. We've just got to find what are their faults in hand and how do we create that into opportunity. Yeah, we've got to wish you good luck with that.

It was obviously such a joy to watch you winning the World Rugby World Player of the Year award. Congrats on that. I was just wondering, sort of with the dust settling on it a little bit, have your teammates now started ensuring you come crashing back to reality? Any Mickey taking, let me open the door for you, Player of the Year. Has there been any of that? Yeah, I mean, there's a few comments here and there and it's often if I get stepped, someone will say, you're set World Player of the Year.

Yeah, no, it's rubbish chat if you ask me. But, you know, I was very much in the mindset and I've said it on previous interviews that winning World Play of the Year doesn't mean anything as soon as you step off that plane and get back to England because just because I'm World Play of the Year doesn't mean I'm World Play of the Year for the next year and as soon as you step off that plane you're on to zero and it's about the next game, the next training session. I went straight to a training session that day.

And for me, I was at zero again because I'm for the 2024 season and now we're going into 2025. So I very much refocused. The dust hasn't settled. I'm not going to say I don't think I will ever let it settle. But in the same breath, you know, to me, it's an incredible achievement and I'm very much proud and honoured to be in that position. But it means nothing for the Games coming forward if I don't put the work in. Yeah.

Well, it's a super attitude to have. I'd expect nothing less and lovely to have some time to chat to you. Thanks very much, Ellie, and good luck on Saturday. Thank you very much.