Woodman suffers serious Achilles injury
Black Ferns superstar Portia Woodman is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after rupturing her Achilles at training earlier this week.
Woodman had been due to fly with the Black Ferns Sevens squad to the United Arab Emirates today to prepare for the Dubai Sevens but instead was booked in for surgery yesterday.
The recovery time from a ruptured Achilles injury can be six months, which would rule Woodman out of the remainder of the 2018-2019 World Rugby Sevens series.
Niall Williams has also been ruled out of the Dubai Sevens as she recovers from a knee injury.
‘‘It is a big loss but at the same time it’s a chance to develop our depth and we’ll see Shakira Baker, Stacey Waaka and Alena Saili step up and get more game time,’’ said coach Allan Bunting.
The injuries have also opened the door for Gayle Broughton to reclaim her spot in the 13-player squad.
‘‘Gayle comes back in and she is looking sharp, as usual, and Stacey has been with the Black Ferns. She still has one test match to play and then she’ll join us, have a chance to recover and then get back into sevens,’’ Bunting said.
The Black Ferns Sevens opened the 2018/2019 season with victory at the Glendale Sevens in the United States last month and Bunting said the team was hoping to build from that tournament.
‘‘This season the focus is on gaining Olympic qualification and doing that the best we can so we need to start well in Dubai and play each game as if it’s a final.’’