Latest news with #SimonMiddleton
The Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- The Independent
How the expressive Ellie Kildunne emerged as the face of England's home World Cup
Growing up in the rural West Yorkshire village of Riddlesden, Ellie Kildunne had a Roald Dahl quote pinned on her wall. 'Lukewarm is no good,' it read, a maxim which Kildunne has carried with her to the top of her sport. These next few weeks in which she will be the postergirl of a home World Cup that England are overwhelming favourites to win could catapult the 25-year-old to superstardom; it is a good job, then, that Kildunne appears totally at ease with the fame for which she has long felt destined. 'She was playing against my daughter in an under-15 game and I'd never seen anything like it,' former England head coach Simon Middleton once recalled of the first time he had seen Kildunne play. 'Her team went 30 points down and she kept them in it, almost on her own, running in tries and kicking goals from the touchline. You don't see that from many 15-year-olds.' Prepare to see plenty more feats of daring and dynamism from a Red Rose in full bloom as the World Cup begins. With a great shock of curls decorating an upright yet deceptively powerful frame, Kildunne is a smooth mover, with trademark serpentine weaves in and out of contact employed to devastating effect since her introduction to international rugby as a teenager. Off the pitch, too, she will be tough to miss; brand deals with Asahi, LG, Canterbury and others befit her status as World Player of the Year. It would be easy to fatigue given the prominence afforded her even within a standard-setting side, but Kildunne's natural charisma and charm has been clear in every media engagement ahead of a tournament of which she may become the face. 'I haven't even scratched my potential yet,' Kildunne told The Independent, ominously, last year, clutching the individual award earned by a superlative 2024 that brought Six Nations and WXV success and a foray back to sevens at the Paris Olympics. If such bold declarations are typical of athletes with her sort of stratospheric ambition, it was nonetheless delivered with the conviction of a certain truth. For there is still a sense that Kildunne is still figuring out the game. Catapulted into an England environment at the age of 18, there was a sense that neither player nor individual quite knew what to do with the raw talent at their disposal. Deployed at full-back on a bit of a hunch – the teenage Kildunne was pretty unfamiliar with the position – flashes of supreme athletic talent were mixed with the growing pains of youth; while Abby Dow and Jess Breach, the other prongs in England's back three triumvirate who made their debut in the same game, soon established their place in the senior side, it took a couple of seasons on the sevens circuit for Kildunne to really make her name. Even by the time of the last World Cup, when her star was fully on the rise, she likely wouldn't have started the final if not for Helena Rowland's injury. "The disappointment and the heartbreak of the last World Cup reignited a flame inside me that I already thought was burning pretty bright," she said ahead of her second tournament. "We've learnt so much from that tournament and built so much in our culture that we're in a completely different space. It's something that you can rewrite and that's something that we're very much focused on. It's not a revenge story, we're just rewriting." But the heartbreak and hard lessons of a relatively tough first major tournament have driven Kildunne to new heights. Growing up, the youngster sported the Liverpool shirts of first sporting heroes like Fernando Torres; now it is her name emblazoned of the backs of a growing legion amidst the swelling army of Red Roses fans. Even among a squad of outstanding ambassadors and engaging personalities, the full-back stands out for her unique connection with her audience. Authentically herself, Kildunne has thrived under John Mitchell in an environment that has encouraged its players to show their personalities on and off the pitch. Her lasso celebration, born at WXV in 2023 with the forming of a 'Cowboys' group within the squad of which Meg Jones is the 'Sheriff', has begun to be imitated on the terraces; when 500 Red Roses cowboy hats were crafted ahead of the Women's Six Nations decider against France, supposedly at the personal request of RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney, the accoutrements sold out almost two hours before kick off. Away from the pitch, Kildunne's expressive edge is clear. A keen photographer and fashion designer, she has worked with clothing brands and O2 to fight the gender awareness gap with a bespoke range of apparel; new boots will be sported during the World Cup featuring a design very much reflecting her character. But elite teams are not picked on popularity or personality alone, and Kildunne has had to work hard to really take command of her starting spot. A tendency to try to do too much herself from earlier in her career, often with success, has been eschewed by a maturing full-back increasingly getting the best out of others as well. Yet Kildunne knows that the intensity of the spotlight upon her will add scrutiny - but the bright lights have never really bothered her. "It will add that target on to my back; I see it as pressure but I don't think pressure is a bad thing," she stressed ahead of the tournament. "I see pressure as a privilege and I definitely think it's a good thing. I use the pressure to challenge myself to exceed people's expectations and to rewrite what people may think I can do and take it to the next level. "I'm feeling strong and confident - the most confident I've ever felt - so I'm ready and raring to go."
ABC News
19-06-2025
- ABC News
Matthew Draganoff found guilty of shooting murder of Simon Middleton
A South Australian Supreme Court jury has found 48-year-old Matthew Draganoff guilty of the shooting murder of Simon Middleton in 2021. The court previously heard Mr Middleton, 49, was shot three times — to the head, chest and buttocks — in the early hours of March 8, 2021, at a property on Brady Street at Virginia, on the northern outskirts of Adelaide. The jury handed down its verdict on Thursday afternoon after more than 25 hours of deliberations over five days following a two-month long trial. Draganoff shook his head and looked down as the 12-person jury delivered their verdict. Prosecutor Lucy Boord KC previously told the jury in her opening statement that Mr Middleton's death was caused by "gunshot wounds to his head and chest caused by a high-powered rifle known as a Marlin 30-30". Ms Boord said there had been "an accumulation of grievances" between Draganoff and Mr Middleton in the lead up to the murder. She said there had been "growing animosity" between the pair in the days before the alleged murder, including a dispute over the sale of a stolen caravan and Mr Middleton living, rent-free, at one of Mr Draganoff's properties. During the trial, the jury was shown several dashcam and CCTV clips — one of which depicted the shooting. The jury also heard from several witnesses, including one man who heard Mr Middleton scream when he was shot. It also heard from a witness who said Draganoff had asked him to dispose of the clothes he was wearing when he shot Mr Middleton, as well as the rifle. The court heard that police seized the clothes following the crime and found a "bloodstain" on one of Draganoff's shoes. During her closing submissions, defence barrister Michelle Barnes, for Draganoff, said the CCTV footage of the shooting was "quite poor quality" and did not clearly identify the shooter. Draganoff will return to court later this month before a date is set for a pre-sentence hearing.
ABC News
10-06-2025
- ABC News
Defence casts doubt over key witness, CCTV evidence in Adelaide murder trial
A man accused of the shooting murder of his tenant in Adelaide's north should be found not guilty because the evidence of a key witness and crucial CCTV of the incident are unreliable, his defence barrister says. Matthew Charles Draganoff, 48, is standing trial in South Australia's Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to the murder of Simon Middleton, 49, at Viriginia, on the northern outskirts of Adelaide, in March 2021. Defence barrister Michelle Barnes, for Mr Draganoff, told the jury CCTV footage of the shooting was of "quite poor quality" and could not clearly identify an offender because it was "too far away, too dark and too grainy". She said it was difficult to see key detail such as clothing and "not good enough" to identify the shooter or draw any inferences about the physical appearance of the shooter. "You should be careful not to jump to conclusions or to assume what the footage shows," she said. She said it was not enough to think that Mr Draganoff "maybe", "possibly" or "probably" shot Mr Middleton, because in those scenarios, "you could still have a doubt". "Mr Draganoff is charged with an extremely serious offence, he must not be convicted on evidence that is weak, questionable or has gaps." Ms Barnes also told the jury one of the prosecution's key witnesses was "simply not a truthful witness" and his account of what happened contained "too many inconsistencies". "There were that many inconsistencies, different versions and lies in the accounts he gave at different times that you just cannot accept that he is a truthful witness," she said. "They add up to a picture of a witness who is simply not telling you the truth and whose evidence you cannot accept." Ms Barnes told the jury a second key witness, however, gave evidence without inconsistencies which she said was "consistent with Mr Draganoff's innocence". She said despite that witness spending time with Mr Draganoff in the days prior to the alleged murder "he knew nothing about any plan held by Matthew Draganoff to shoot Mr Middleton". Previously, the court heard Mr Draganoff was accused of shooting Mr Middleton three times — in the head, chest and buttocks — with a high-powered Marlin 30-30 rifle at a property on Brady Street on March 8, 2021. Opening the trial in April, prosecutor Lucy Boord SC told the jury it was alleged there had been "growing animosity" between the pair over a "range of issues" prior to the shooting, including a dispute over the sale of a stolen caravan and Mr Middleton living rent-free at one of Mr Draganoff's properties. "In the lead up to the murder, there'd been an accumulation of grievances held by the accused towards the deceased," Ms Boord had told the jury. She had told the jury the alleged final "catalyst" for the crime came after a "home invasion" that was reported to police on March 6, and that Mr Draganoff had believed Mr Middleton and his friends had been stealing from him. Ms Boord had also told the jury Mr Middleton had been on the phone just prior to being shot, and a witness had reported hearing him say "oh no, don't shoot" before screaming and then three shots. Ms Barnes will continue the defence closing address on Wednesday.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Ban coaches to help prevent head-on-head tackles'
Rugby union should consider banning head coaches from matches if their players are repeatedly involved in head-on-head tackles, says former England women's boss Simon Middleton. In the Women's Six Nations opening round, France centre Gabrielle Vernier was sent off for a head-on-head hit in their win over Ireland, followed by Wales' Georgia Evans receiving a second yellow card for a similar tackle in their defeat by Scotland. In this year's men's Six Nations, Ireland centre Garry Ringrose received a red card for a head-on-head tackle on Wales' Ben Thomas. Middleton - England head coach from 2015 to 2023 - suggests that three illegal head-on-head tackles in a game should result in a one-match touchline ban for that team's head coach. "You want to make it impactful and resonate," Middleton told BBC Sport. "If I am a defence coach and I know the action of my player is going to impact the availability of the head coach then I am probably going to be more diligent and aware of the consequences of what I am coaching. "As a head coach you are charged with overseeing your coaching group so ultimately the buck stops with the head coach. "I do think reducing head contact in rugby is moving in the right direction, but there has been a notable change in terms of the nature of incidents now being more head-on-head than shoulder-to-head." Middleton coached the Red Roses to the World Cup final in 2022, where his side lost to New Zealand after playing the majority of the game with 14 players following a high, head-on-head tackle by wing Lydia Thompson. The 59-year-old says more detail around tackle height from his coaching team could have prevented the red card. "We paid a huge price for it in the World Cup and rightly so as that was the correct decision and we have to live with that," he said. "I look back on the build-up to the World Cup and think 'what was our part in that?' We clearly played a part. "We have to be accountable as it is never just about the players, it is about why the player has actioned in that way. There are some things you can't control but most of the actions are a product of what they are coached." What next for English rugby as Sweeney survives vote? Women's Six Nations: Wales v England match preview, coverage & key stats Women's Six Nations: Fixtures, results, stats & BBC coverage After leaving England's coaching team in 2023, Middleton took up a role with Japan's women's team as their high-performance advisor. He says head coach Lesley McKenzie plays a "safe and entertaining" brand of rugby, which could be taught across the sport. Last year more than 300 former football, rugby league and rugby union players in the United Kingdom took legal action over brain injuries they claim to have sustained during their playing careers. McKenzie, who also sits on World Rugby's women's high-performance rugby committee, coaches a double tackle where one player chops the opponents' legs and the other targets the ball to prevent offloads. "Lesley is obsessed with tackle technique, body management and functional movement in the contact area," Middleton adds. "Physically there is a disparity with most sides, so Japan have to be technically outstanding with what they do. "I can't remember, in the two years I've been with them, a red or yellow card for any high shots, and penalties for head contacts there has been maybe been a handful. "There is a huge investment and spotlight on that area." Middleton believes that a by-product of coaches being more diligent with tackle technique is that the game becomes more entertaining to watch because of fewer stoppages to review high tackles. The argument that tackling lower will mean teams can break defences more easily through offloading is also something he disagrees with. "You can still tackle on the ball and safely, I don't subscribe to the argument you can't risk tackling on the ball," he added. "Most offloading games are not negated by teams tackling on the ball but by tackling really low and aggressively. "That takes time and space away and puts their decision-making under pressure. That is more impactful." England's 'superstars' return for Cardiff challenge Listen: Sport's Strangest Crimes - Bloodgate Listen to the latest Rugby Union Weekly podcast
