Yorkshire rugby and Gladiators star Jodie Ounsely hails Keighley star

Dewsbury native, Ounsley - who also currently stars as ‘Fury’ on the popular BBC show ‘Gladiators’ - thinks that despite tough competition in the events, Team GB are on course to finish top of the podium. However, she also conceded there are a number of other great sides in the competition too:

She said: “I have to back the GB women’s side, but Australia and New Zealand are so strong and are definitely teams to look out for. That said, some teams just bring it at the Olympics; teams you might not expect who maybe handle the pressure a bit better than others - Fiji for instance, I love Fiji!”

In the interview, Jodie also highlighted another Team GB star who hails from Yorkshire - Keighley’s very own Ellie Kildunne - as a standout player and ‘one to watch’. When speaking about Kildunne, who is currently in France with the women’s sevens squad preparing for the games, Jodie said: “She’s {Ellie] coming back to sevens and she’s going to bring so many fans with her and I know she will make a great impact and be a storm at the Olympics. She will get people talking for sure.”

Jodie also offered some interesting commentary around how the Olympics could do a lot to raise the profile of the sevens and women’s rugby in general:

“If we look back to Rio 2016, we had some huge excitement around the game, but then due to Covid and how things were with lockdowns in Tokyo in 2021, it was of course more subdued. But now with the events being in France, I’d like to think we’ll get way more interest in the women’s and the men’s events.

“Ultimately, fans love games with small margins and it’ll only take just one amazing moment to get the fans’ attention. Also with sevens you don’t need to have a massive rugby knowledge to get involved with it or simply watch it. It’s fast, exciting and it’s easy to be engaged by it.”

Jodie went on to discuss the excitement of the sevens as a game, how inclusive it is and how Olympic success could be a catalyst for bringing more young women into the sport, referencing her own experiences playing the game at international level:

“Something that I really liked about it all - which is still true to this day - is that it’s very joined up and cohesive with the men’s game - and that helps a lot. You eat and train in the same places, use the same facilities, travel together, and you feel more like one team. This was probably my favourite part of the sevens world and I’d like to think it’s a similar experience outside of Team GB.

“People probably don’t see this side of it as well, but there’s such a good feeling in the camps and that level of support translated at amateur and grassroots levels would definitely help more people get involved, not just sevens, but in rugby in general.

“The Olympics is just the start in my opinion. Like I say, more exposure will really help, especially in countries where they don’t have as much funding or as big an infrastructure for women’s sevens. More broadcasting would be great too and getting just a few more games on TV will simply get the game in front of more people. I also think that more pathways for young girls would help a great deal too.”

Lastly, she explained how more can still be done after the Olympics to continue raising the profile of the game:

“The women’s XVs world has completely blown up in the last couple of years. I mean just look at the recent Women’s Six Nations getting record numbers, there’s a big increase in people watching and getting behind the women’s game and this has led to more positive awareness.

“It’s also meant that people are seeing the game for what it is; then you get more sponsors, more opportunities and it grows. My hope is this domino effect continues and we get more women coming from XVs to the sevens and bringing that fanbase with them.”

The Paris 2024 Olympics is now here and the highly anticipated women’s Rugby Sevens, gets underway today, July 28.