Coach reflects on ‘special’ end to Portia Woodman-Wickliffe’s sevens career

Coach Cory Sweeney has opened up on just how much the New Zealand women’s sevens side will miss Portia Woodman-Wickliffe who retired along with Tyla King after the Paris Olympic Games.

New Zealand were beaten in the Championship semi-finals at the SVNS Series Grand Final in Madrid a couple of months ago, so they shockingly missed out on a chance to compete for the overall title. Australia ended up claiming that crown with a win over France.

The New Zealanders would have to wait a while, but a couple of months later, they had a chance to make amends as they chased the team’s second consecutive gold medal after taking out the prestigious honour at the postponed Tokyo Games.

It was during that break that both Woodman-Wickliffe and King announced they’d retire after the Paris Games. Woodman-Wickliffe’s announcement was enough to almost bring captain Sarah Hirini to tears in an interview with RugbyPass, just a few hours after it was revealed.

But both legends of the sport have bowed out as two-time Olympic gold medallists after New Zealand defeated Canada 19-12 at Stade de France. That result marks the end of their sevens careers but it’s an “unbelievable” way to bid farewell to that black jersey.

“I’ve been with this group for eight years and Tokyo was great, but this one was special,” coach Cory Sweeney said on SENZ Mornings.

“We had 66,000 people in the crowd for women’s rugby and we had some legends of the game that have paved the way for so many women in rugby.

“For them to have the twilight of their career on such a stage – it was an unbelievable moment.”

With a focus on Woodman-Wickiffe, Sweeney had some overwhelming positive things to say about the cross-code star. The New Zealander has been a pioneer of the women’s game and leaves behind an unrivalled legacy of greatness.

Woodman-Wickliffe is now a two-time Olympic gold medallist and is also a two-time Rugby World Cup winner in 15s, a winner of both the women’s sevens and 15s Player of the Year awards, and she was also crowned the Sevens Player of the Decade.

In Madrid, the 33-year-old waited for about 10 to 15 minutes as a line of supporters waited for their turn to either take a selfie with the rugby legend or ask for an autograph. That was in Spain, too, it’s worth noting.

“She’s a special lady and we’re going to miss her,” Sweeney explained. “The program will miss her, the world will miss her, I will miss her.

“Watching her over the last 12 years in her career, not only has she gone on a journey like everyone’s career, but she gets to this point, and she’s probably almost the full package as a player.

“She’s fast, she’s powerful. She’s great in the air. She’s a leader, she knows the game, and all of a sudden, she decides to retire.

“But I guess it’s the learning and the growth. Rugby’s not the end of Portia Woodman. She’s getting on to great things, whatever that will be, and we’ll remember it forever.

“I’m just so proud of her and the legacy she’s left. There’s so many young girls in New Zealand that want to be just like her, and I’m just privileged to be part of it.”

What Woodliffe-Wickliffe and King have achieved in the black jersey truly is incredible. King is a dual international in both rugby and 15s, and is also the reigning winner of World Rugby’s Sevens Player of the Year.

But Sweeney remains confident that the next generation can step up and fill the voids left behind by those two retiring greats.

“We’ve got 20 contracted athletes in this program and all 20 have played a huge role in the success tonight,” he added. “I’m really proud of every single one of them.

“We’ve got players that have been in the program for one year, two years… learning off the best in the world.

“I’m really encouraged by the group of players that we’ve got. Yes, we will lose the likes of Portia and Tyla over the next few months, but they’ve left such a legacy that inspires the motivates the young players that are walking into our program and I think sevens is healthy in New Zealand.”