Woodman builds a future for herself
Acareer-halting achilles injury has left Black Ferns and sevens star Portia Woodman mulling over her next move.
Her recovery will keep her off the rugby field until at least August, but there are mental scars she is addressing too.
Life after rugby for Woodman will look a lot different to those former All Blacks who choose big pay cheques with rugby clubs in Europe, the UK and Asia to aid the retirement fund.
She’s choosing the life of a tradie.
The Northlander injured her left achilles tendon in November and is nine weeks out of surgery wearing a clumpy non-fashionable moon boot.
Injury has proved Woodman isn’t bulletproof and it’s time to construct a life after rugby. She begins a building apprenticeship next month while on her paid contract with New Zealand Rugby.
Her father (former All Black Kawhena Woodman) inspired her to take up rugby and now a career behind the tools because, in her words, he is a ‘‘jack of all trades and master of none’’. ‘‘He was always doing something or making something.’’
She plans to build her dream home one day for her and fiancee, Black Fern Renee Wickliffe, in her homeland of Northland.
After commentating rugby for Sky TV, Woodman also fancies a job behind the microphone. She will commentate NZR’s national rugby sevens tournament next month.
Her passion outside rugby is surfing since moving to Mount Maunganui with the sevens squad, but she won’t make a living out of it.
‘‘I’m not good, I am terrible to be honest . . . but a recovery session out on the waves is my ideal day.’’
She and Wickliffe are starting to make plans to wed, although they haven’t set a date yet.
But it isn’t time to hang up the boots, far from it, she says, and is optimistic when she talks about her return to rugby this year.
‘‘I know there’s going to be a lot of work no doubt, but there is hope yet. I won’t ever stop and I will just keep going until I can’t.
Woodman plans to reset her body and mind in her current downtime. Her ankles, shoulders and calf muscles have given her pain she has continually ignored and punished without rest.
‘‘Now I have pretty much nine months to get everything in my body right. I am going to come back better than what I was before, and it excites me.’’
It could be as late as October before we see her back on the field, leaving less than a year to bounce back to full fitness for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Doubt over a full recovery has crossed her mind, but it is a dark hole she wants to stay away from. Portia Woodman
‘‘It is a little bit scary. There is a bit of me that thinks ‘what if I am not strong enough, what if I do the same movement and it [achilles] goes again? What if this, and what if that’.’’
At 27, she says she has a lot more to offer in her Black Ferns and sevens career.
‘‘I still consider myself one of the newbies because I have so much more to learn and so much more to give.’’
When fit she is one of the best in the world. She was named women’s player of the year at the World Rugby awards in 2017.
Comparisons with former All Blacks great Jonah Lomu leave Woodman blushing.
‘‘Just the thought that people even compare me to Jonah or anyone else is huge and is just hard to figure that out in my own head.
‘‘I still feel I am a long way off to someone who is as great as them. I take it as a compliment.
‘‘I looked up to Jonah and my dad. I unfortunately didn’t know many of the Black Ferns but now these young girls have these amazing role models – Sarah Goss [New Zealand sevens captain], Kelly Brazier, Ruby Tui – these girls are amazing role models.’’
‘‘I have nine months to get everything in my body right. I am going to come back better than what I was before, and it excites me.’’