Black Ferns Sevens rise to the occasion to win SVNS Vancouver

New Zealand’s Shiray Kaka said it best on Day One at SVNS Vancouver: “You can say it,” she told RugbyPass. “We’ve lost every tournament. That’s what’s happened.”

But not anymore. For the first time in the 2023/24 season, the Black Ferns Sevens have claimed Cup final glory after dismantling France 35-19 at BC Place Stadium on Sunday evening.

Veteran Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, who replaced injured superstar Stacey Waaka in the starting side this weekend, led by example with a blistering hat-trick in front of thousands of fans.

Championing when it matters! 🏆

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe is the @HSBC_Sport Player of the Final! 👏#HSBCSVNS | #HSBCSVNSPER pic.twitter.com/YScYi0nKJ8

— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) February 26, 2024

Woodman-Wickliffe scored the opening in the first minute and from there, the New Zealanders never looked like slowing down as they ran riot with a barrage of tries.

New Zealand led 28-7 at half-time, and while France ‘won’ the second term, it was the Black Ferns Sevens’ night as they held on for a confidence-building win after a tough season to date.

The Black Ferns Sevens placed fifth in Perth last month after a tough quarter-final exit, but they’ve bounced back and can rightfully take their seat on the SVNS Vancouver throne as champions.

“We had the likes of Sarah Hirini go out this year with her knee, Stacey (Waaka), Kelly Brazier, but the fact that we’ve gone through some moments that have been really quite hard in the past in terms of the rugby game, coming fifth in Perth was a real eye-opener for us,” Woodman-Wickliffe told RugbyPass.

“But to come out here, we’ve got some really new girls, we took out all the excess stuff that didn’t need to be there and made the game simple: get the ball wide, create space and play from there.”

Woodman-Wickliffe added another two tries to held guide the team to victory, while try-scoring whiz Michaela Blyde and Jorja Miller also played their part on the scoreboard.

About an hour after their game, and as the Argentina men’s side continued to celebrate on the turf at BC Place Stadium, Woodman-Wickliffe stopped to reflect on the match that was.

The Player of the Final joked that she “didn’t know I had it in me” to score those three decisive tries in the final before continuing to discuss the importance of this result for the team.

“Our game’s not perfect, we’ve got a long way to go,” she added.

“Australia is always the pinnacle but France is such a massive side. They’re strong, they’re physical, they bring a different game that no one else does.

“Looking forward to the next tournament. We’ve got some girls that are coming back from injuries. It’s going to be exciting.

“But the ultimate is the Olympics at the end of this year so we want to be peaking towards that.”