Latest news with #PortiaWoodmanWickliffe
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- RNZ News
Sevens star Michaela Brake braces for NRLW impact with Warriors women
Michaela Brake became the top tryscorer on the World Rugby sevens circuit in February. Photo: PhotoSport NZ Barely a week into her rugby league career, sevens superstar Michaela Brake experienced her 'Welcome to the Warriors' moment. Just months after becoming the most prolific tryscorer on the World Rugby circuit, passing former Black Ferns ally Portia Woodman-Wickliffe at Vancouver in February, the two-time Olympic champion is preparing for perhaps her biggest challenge, when NZ Warriors return to the NRLW competition , after a three-year absence. Sevens exponents are renowned for their fitness levels, but nothing could have prepared the pint-sized speedster, at 1.65m (5ft 5in) and 65kg, for the pounding she has already received at the hands of her new teammates. "If you watched our training on Saturday, holy, it got to the point where I was crying, because I was so exhausted, so taken aback by the physicality of the training," Brake (formerly Michaela Blyde) said. "You've really got to mentally get up for these kind of trainings, because it's very, very different. It's safely controlled, but you've got to seriously be tough, with the different dynamics of the contact area, how you used your body smartly to try to be the winner in the contact area. "I'm learning a lot about that the hard way, which is great. Just chuck me in the deep end with no floaties, and we'll see if I sink or swim. "It's a challenge I'm having to adapt to very quickly." Sevens-to-league converts aren't exactly rare, especially in the women's game, where several others have successfully transitioned previously. Two years ago, Tyla King (formerly Nathan-Wong) starred for the Kiwi Ferns in a rare test victory over Australia Jillaroos and, days later, was named World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year. Last year, Stacey Waaka set the NRLW alight early, scoring six tries in her first six outings, before fracturing a fibula in her right leg. Her performance was still good enough to earn Dally M Winger of the Year honours in her debut season. Most of those who have gone before Brake, 29, have at least some 15s background to draw on, when it comes to confronting much bigger players at close quarters. Waaka was a member of the NZ team that won the last Rugby World Cup and has chosen that pathway again this season. "I definitely need to work on my toughness in contact." Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Brake's previous attempts at the expanded format have usually ended badly, once at the hands of new flatmate and former Black Ferns Sevens teammate Shakira Baker. "I played three games for Bay of Plenty Volcanix in 2016, after not making the Rio Olympics, and we played against Wellington, who Shakira was playing for. "I decided to run it straight at her and she gave me a haematoma." More recently, another stint with the Bay team ended with a broken jaw, trying to tackle a prop in pre-season training. If nothing else, these failed forays into provincial rugby have sharpened her survival instincts in rugby league. "I definitely need to work on my toughness in contact," she admitted. "It's very different." "Obviously, in sevens and union in general, there are strict rules about where you can tackle, but in league, you can kind of bend those rules a little. I'm just trying to find the balance of where I can use my strength with my upper body in league, without getting bunted off by girls that are far bigger than myself. "Of course, my speed is not going to hide. As soon as I catch the ball, I'm just going to run hard into space and hopefully that will work out well for me in the Warriors jersey." On the other hand, Baker has an extensive pedigree in both forms of rugby union, with 13 tests for the Black Ferns - including the 2014 World Cup - and sevens gold at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. In 15s, she is a hard-hitting midfielder, but at the Warriors, she may find herself among the forwards. Brake and Baker represent intriguing projects for new Warriors coach Ron Griffiths, who has already won two NRLW crowns with Newcastle Knights. Most of his squad have never played in the competition before - many have been plucked from domestic competition - so he has his work cut out moulding them into championship contenders in his first campaign. Teaching his rugby converts the finer points of the code will be key to his success. "We're probably a week-and-a-half in with Michaela and I think determination to succeed is probably what rings true the most," Griffiths said. "She came, as a fulltime professional athlete, into a semi-professional environment and the first day, she asked questions. "That's important - it showed everyone she wanted to invest and needed to understand what the game was about. It let people know that, if you don't know, it's ok to ask questions." Brake will probably start out on the wing, which seems a safe place to learn the positional intricacies of the game, before testing the waters at fullback or centre. Despite her abundance of sevens success, she is not putting pressure on herself to excel immediately in her new environment. "I'm not coming in here with the mindset of wanting to win all the time, because I'm so new to this game," she said. "I'm just taking it day by day, learning as much as I possibly can without putting too much pressure on myself to being the best. "I'm very fortunate to be surrounded by players who have played Kiwi Ferns and NRLW for a while now, so learning off them has been very valuable. "Also remembering I'm one of the older girls in the squad, so another purpose is to encourage these young girls to make the most of this opportunity. A lot of them have never signed a piece of paper before, so this is their first opportunity to really stamp their mark on NRLW. "I'm hoping I can help them make the most of it by being professional, making the most of the resources we have here, so for their long-term career, they're locked in for a long time with the Warriors and can play fulltime professional league for as long as they can." Brake considered following several of her sevens teammates into the 15s programme, but decided the league option fitted better into her lifestyle. "It was the perfect opportunity for me to leave the sevens nest and really test myself as a footy player," she said. "The main attraction was that I'm essentially home for a lot of it. "It was a matter of weighing up what was best for me and my career and my family, and being part of the Warriors ended up being the winning opportunity for me." Brake said the game has grown over the past few years and the fan engagement is "insane". "What the Warriors have here at Go Media Stadium is second to none, when it comes to a crowd and atmosphere here in New Zealand. I wanted to be a part of that energy with the Wahine Warriors." The Warriors women kick off their NRLW season against defending champions Sydney Roosters on 6 July across the Tasman, with their first home game against Parramatta Eels a week later. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
CNA
26-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Magnificent seven for Portia as New Zealand make statement ahead of World Cup
SYDNEY :Portia Woodman-Wickliffe's return from retirement paid big dividends for New Zealand at the weekend when the veteran winger scored seven tries to help the world champions thrash the United States 79-14 and retain the Pacific Four title. Katelyn Vahaakolo on the other wing chipped in with four tries but it was Woodman-Wickliffe who caught the eye with some devastating finishing as the Black Ferns produced a statement win three months before their Women's World Cup title defence. The 33-year-old, who was playing her first test since the 2022 World Cup final after coming out of retirement in April, also overhauled Vanessa Coutts as her country's all-time leading try scorer with 45 five-pointers in 26 internationals. "It's always amazing to represent the black jersey and the legacy that we have, but it's really cool for where we can go from here," twice World Player of the Year Woodman-Wickliffe said. "For me, I just finish what the girls are doing, if I'm there to finish the tries out wide, then that's my job done. We've still got a lot of work to do as a whole team, which is really exciting." After drawing 27-27 in their last outing against Canada, New Zealand needed to beat the U.S. by 25 points and earn a bonus point on Saturday to retain the Pacific Four title. Despite the Americans scoring the first try, that proved no problem at Auckland's North Harbour Stadium with sevens standout Jorja Miller also on fire on her test debut at openside flanker. Canada earlier also finished the tournament unbeaten after putting sixth-ranked Australia to the sword 45-7 with a clinical performance at Brisbane's Lang Park. The powerful Canadian pack quickly dented the confidence Australia had built up after beating the U.S. 27-19 in Canberra last week as they signalled they will be no pushovers in England in August and September. "Obviously we would have loved to get that win against New Zealand last weekend, but we had to move on," said Canada captain Alex Tessier. "Overall I was very proud of the girls today. It was a decent win. We put a lot of points on the board." New Zealand, who have won six of the nine previous Women's World Cups but are ranked third in the world behind World Cup hosts England and Canada, next play Australia for a second time this year in Wellington on July 12.
Reuters
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Magnificent seven for Portia as New Zealand make statement ahead of World Cup
SYDNEY, May 26 (Reuters) - Portia Woodman-Wickliffe's return from retirement paid big dividends for New Zealand at the weekend when the veteran winger scored seven tries to help the world champions thrash the United States 79-14 and retain the Pacific Four title. Katelyn Vahaakolo on the other wing chipped in with four tries but it was Woodman-Wickliffe who caught the eye with some devastating finishing as the Black Ferns produced a statement win three months before their Women's World Cup title defence. The 33-year-old, who was playing her first test since the 2022 World Cup final after coming out of retirement in April, also overhauled Vanessa Coutts as her country's all-time leading try scorer with 45 five-pointers in 26 internationals. "It's always amazing to represent the black jersey and the legacy that we have, but it's really cool for where we can go from here," twice World Player of the Year Woodman-Wickliffe said. "For me, I just finish what the girls are doing, if I'm there to finish the tries out wide, then that's my job done. We've still got a lot of work to do as a whole team, which is really exciting." After drawing 27-27 in their last outing against Canada, New Zealand needed to beat the U.S. by 25 points and earn a bonus point on Saturday to retain the Pacific Four title. Despite the Americans scoring the first try, that proved no problem at Auckland's North Harbour Stadium with sevens standout Jorja Miller also on fire on her test debut at openside flanker. Canada earlier also finished the tournament unbeaten after putting sixth-ranked Australia to the sword 45-7 with a clinical performance at Brisbane's Lang Park. The powerful Canadian pack quickly dented the confidence Australia had built up after beating the U.S. 27-19 in Canberra last week as they signalled they will be no pushovers in England in August and September. "Obviously we would have loved to get that win against New Zealand last weekend, but we had to move on," said Canada captain Alex Tessier. "Overall I was very proud of the girls today. It was a decent win. We put a lot of points on the board." New Zealand, who have won six of the nine previous Women's World Cups but are ranked third in the world behind World Cup hosts England and Canada, next play Australia for a second time this year in Wellington on July 12.
RNZ News
26-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Vici-Rose Green 'speechless' after Black Ferns test debut
Vici-Rose Green during the Black Ferns 79-14 win over USA Eagles Women on Saturday 24 May 2025 Photo: Photosport / Andrew Cornaga One of the Black Ferns' newest faces says she is still "speechless" after making her test debut as the team switches its focus to their World Cup defence. In their final hit-out before the tournament, the Ferns came away with an emphatic 79- 14 win over the USA at Albany to seal the Pacific Four series title. Coach Allan Bunting rolled out the changes with four players earning test debuts during Saturday's comprehensive victory. Hooker Vici-Rose Green came off the bench for her first cap, as competition for World Cup places heats up. Green told Morning Report she was still stunned about the occasion at the weekend. "I'm still quite speechless on being named and then running out in front of our home crowd there at North Harbour in front of my whanau and friends and everyone there," she said. "Don't quite have the words to explain my feelings." Despite the Ferns coming away with an eleven try haul against the ninth-ranked Eagles, Green said the score did not "reflect how the game went". "Moving forward we're just happy with ticking a box. We're more focusing on ourselves and what our work-ons and continuing to build for the World Cup." The win also saw Portia Woodman-Wickliffe become the greatest try scorer in Black Ferns history, running in seven tries against the Americans. Green paid tribute to the star wing three-quarter who has returned to the test arena after a retirement change-of-heart. "Portia is just an amazing human on and off the field. She's one of the ladies who you try and pick their brain," she said. After wrapping up the Pacific Four series, the team now look ahead towards the next challenge. The team is only focusing on how they can get better, Green said. "All we need to do is focus on our own individual goal. What we need to do as a team is focus on ourselves and not the opposition," she said. "We'll have a couple of weeks back here at home and then reconnect as a team in a few weeks. "It's not too long from the World Cup so there's not much space to take a rest. We're just trying to train as hard as we can so we can put our best foot forward for the World Cup." The Black Ferns face Spain in their opening World Cup pool game on 24 August.
RNZ News
25-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
The real star shines: Portia Woodman-Wickliffe's big day out
Analysis - She came, she saw, she conquered yet again. While the week's build up to the Black Ferns' test against the USA had been dominated by the presence of bronze medal winner Ilona Maher , once the ball was kicked off it became very apparent, very quickly that having a lot of social media followers doesn't count for anything when you're trying to stop someone who deals in exclusively in gold. The stage belonged to Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, who scored seven tries in the 79-14 win that won back the Pacific Four title. If you think that's impressive, that figure isn't even the highest amount of tries she's ever scored in a test match. Nor the only time she's ever terrorised the hapless USA Women - Woodman-Wickliffe now averages 5.5 tries per game against them. Portia Woodman-Wickliffe of New Zealand scores a try, New Zealand Black Ferns v USA Eagles Women, match 6 of the Pacific Four Series women's rugby union tournament at North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday 24 May 2025. © Photo: Andrew Cornaga / Photosport Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Then there's the World Cups, gold medals and Super Rugby titles …you get the picture. But what makes this performance just that much more astounding is that Woodman-Wickliffe wasn't even supposed to be here. She retired last year, citing a desire to "lounging on the couch, eating Maccas and KFC and popping out babies". Thankfully for the Black Ferns, who now turn their attention to an upcoming World Cup campaign, she decided that Colonel Sanders can wait and pulled the boots back on . "I'm extremely grateful, those tries were a result of what the team puts out," she said post match. "The scrums, lineouts, the handling skills. We're not happy with our first couple of games, it's been a clunky start to the season and we know there's a lot to work on…(but) it's really exciting for where we're heading off to." Woodman-Wickliffe's haul moved her into first place on the Black Ferns all time try-scoring list, another fact she was blissfully unaware of. What makes it even more astounding is that she's achieved it despite the majority of her 13-year career has been spent playing Sevens, so the 45 tries she's racked up have been across only 26 tests*. "I don't actually know, most tries ever? I knew I had the World Cup (record) but I didn't know the other one. But like I said, I'm grateful because of the work the girls did through the midfield, all I had to do was put the ball down." The test was built around the presence of Maher, however the fact that she did her media appearance during the week alongside Woodman-Wickliffe was a smart move. The pair joked it up for the big turnout of journalists, radio hosts and influencers, but it also meant that while what Maher is doing to promote herself and by association the sport can't be underestimated, Aotearoa was reminded that we very much have our own superstar who got to that status simply by being a phenomenal player. Ilona Maher. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Because really, the gulf between the two in rugby ability can be summed up in the fact that Woodman scored more tries than Maher's total carry or tackle count, with the American spending most of her energy trudging back behind her own posts to watch Ruahei Demant or Hannah King line up another conversion attempt. As for the game itself, it was certainly an overall performance to raise spirits as the World Cup looms, especially after last weekend's draw with Canada . However, it wasn't quite perfect - the Black Ferns' discipline let them down more than it should have and while it didn't matter too much in a 65-point win, it's certainly going to be an issue in a knockout game in August. Jorja Miller offloads for a Black Ferns try. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ But there was far more good than bad, most notably that Katelyn Vahaakolo scoring four tries on the other wing would be a player of the match performance any other day. The set piece was strong, Jorja Miller looked right at home in an openside flanker role and causes a good problem for the coaching staff to have around the makeup of the loose forwards, and the bench kept the foot on the gas right the way through to full time. A very positive sign, and Maher can certainly be praised for playing her part in creating, was the very good crowd that showed up to watch. It was the latest of several big sports weekends in Auckland lately where fans have been spoiled for choice, this time there was Auckland FC's big semi-final and a Warriors home game to contend with. It's fair to say that Woodman-Wickliffe's heroics, the latest in a long list of excellence to the Black Ferns, made those who made the trip to North Harbour Stadium feel like it was well worth it. * The previous record holder, Waikato's Vanessa Cootes, scored her 43 tries in only 16 tests. This included nine in one match against France in 1996, which remains a women's test world record.
