Portia Woodman can't guarantee she'll hit the ground running for New Zealand in the first round of the women's Sevens World Series.
An extended six-leg series begins in Dubai today, where New Zealand face pool opponents France, Fiji and Ireland.
It will be their first tournament since losing the Olympic final to Australia three months ago.
Woodman, who starred in that tournament, was in tears at the final whistle in Rio, believing she had let New Zealand down when shown a yellow card at a key point.
The 25-year-old speedster has put that behind her, producing a series of strong test showings for the Black Ferns, including a hat-trick in their 38-8 win over Ireland in Dublin on Sunday.