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Portia Woodman-Wickliffe Announces Second Retirement From International Rugby at 34

Her decision caps a dual-format career defined by record try-scoring.

Rugby Union - Women's World Cup 2025 - Pool C - New Zealand v Japan - Sandy Park, Exeter, Britain - August 31, 2025 New Zealand's Portia Woodman-Wickliffe scores their first try Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra

Overview

  • The Black Ferns star confirmed her exit in a statement released on the team’s social media, expressing gratitude for a final World Cup appearance.
  • She returned from a brief retirement to play at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup in Britain before stepping away again.
  • Across the World Sevens Series, she logged 241 appearances with 256 tries and was named the women’s sevens player of the previous decade in 2020.
  • Her honors include Olympic sevens gold medals at Tokyo and Paris, plus Rugby World Cup titles in 2017 and 2022.
  • The two-time World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year also earned a Sevens Player of the Year award and was ranked No. 1 by RugbyPass ahead of the 2025 tournament.