Portia Woodman-Wickliffe: 'I'm really looking forward to settling down and having some babies'
After retiring from international rugby last July, the 33-year-old Black Fern many regard as the world's best player is putting her jersey back on for one last ride.
Kiwi rugby star Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (Ngāpuhi) is grateful and excited to rejoin the Black Ferns this year but coming out of retirement was a decision she didn't take lightly.
Knowing the commitment required for the upcoming Pacific Four series in May and the World Cup in August, Woodman-Wickliffe wanted to make sure another whirl with the Ferns would work for her whanau, too.
"I'm really looking forward to settling down and having some babies, and maybe playing club rugby."
Renee Woodman-Wickliffe and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe have been together since 2013.
Keepa Mewett
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With two AC joints that are "an absolutely a pain in the butt", there's also the fact that members of "the very elite 30s club" really feel every training session, Woodman-Wickliffe tells Sunday Morning.
"I keep thinking, 'You can have a rest in October when the World Cup is finished and all the Fifteens are finished. You can have a rest and recover, sit on the porch in the rocking chair'."
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe retired after the Black Ferns' gold-medal winning streak at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Tysha Ikenasio/Instagram
As a kid growing up in Kaikohe, Woodman-Wickliffe said she never chased accomplishments, but simply loved sport.
"I struggled at school. I struggled with reading. I was one of those kids that needed help in every aspect. So sports was my outlet. Playing alongside the boys at primary school and high school, that was my favourite time."
Within the Black Ferns, her role is now evolving, from someone "trying to be the best or whatever" to helping other players reach their potential.
"We have some really young girls in our squad. There's some amazing players within the squad, and I just want to help them as much as I can."
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe playing France at the 2022 Rugby World Cup.
Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
The highs of women's rugby - on the field, in the changing sheds, or just hanging out watching movies - are what helps her get through the lows.
"We have a load of fun and that is my favourite thing ever."
Although Woodman-Wickliffe plans to leave professional rugby for good later this year, she has no plans to retire from the game completely.
Coming out of lockdown, she rediscovered her love of club rugby after heading north to join the Kaikohe women's rugby team.
"I found the passion for rugby. I found the passion for being around the girls and training at nighttime.
"With club rugby, you go back to the roots of training in the dark after all the girls have finished work, and you have to cook your own dinner, wash your clothes.
"That is the pure rugby, right? That is where everyone comes from and that's where I found the love again."
New Zealand’s Portia Woodman-Wickliffe races away from the Great Britain defence for a try on day one of the Madrid Sevens.
© Mike Lee - KLC fotos for World Rugby 2024
Woodman-Wickliffe's two favourite songs, which she shared with Sunday Morning, are from long ago - Queen's 1975 hit 'Bohemian Rhapsody', which she and her brother loved as kids, and 'Little Ole Wine Drinker Me' - a 1967 classic by Dean Martin.
She has a special memory of her family singing along to the 'King of Cool' at her nana's tangi.
"I was probably about eight or nine and all I have is this memory of all our whanau sitting in the marae singing these Dean Martin songs. Dean Martin is such a nostalgic artist for me."
