Portia Woodman still coming to grips with winning Olympic gold

Northland women's rugby powerhouse Portia Woodman has time to reflect on her Olympic win in Tokyo while in MIQ. Photo / Supplied

Winning Olympic gold with the New Zealand sevens side still hasn't sunk in for Northland women's rugby powerhouse Portia Woodman- two weeks after their victory.

At times, she wanders out to the balcony of the quarantine facility in Christchurch to have a yarn with fellow Black Ferns Tenika Willison about the Tokyo Games final, in which they beat France 26-12 on July 31.

At "yard time" when they're allowed outside in their bubbles, she relives the moment with the rest of the team, and at night sleeps with her gold medal next to her.

Playing - and winning- at the strangest Olympic Games in history, where no spectators were allowed due to Covid-19, was "surreal" for the sevens try-scoring machine.

"We're all numb, and a bit shocked," she said.

"We've worked nine years for this gold medal, we got to celebrate it a bit over there and reflect on what it took to get it.

"But not being able to celebrate with family and friends has numbed me a bit.

"I'm still gobsmacked we've done it and have to look at photos and videos every now and then to remind myself what we've done.

"I still have to talk to the girls and we're all saying 'it's done, it's finished, and we got the gold'."

Woodman returned to New Zealand on August 2 and is quite enjoying having "nothing to do".

But she realises it's likely to be "the calm before we get pulled in all different directions when I get out".

"After being in my teammates' pockets for six weeks, it's really nice."

Their overseas trip kicked off with a successful Oceania Sevens tournament in Townsville in June, where they defeated both Fiji and Australia.

The team were then meant to head to a training camp in Okinawa to acclimatise to Japan's intensely hot and humid summer.

However, Okinawa became a "Covid hotspot" so they stayed in Townsville a little longer before travelling directly to Tokyo.

Portia Woodman and Kelly Brazier celebrate after defeating France on day eight of the Tokyo Olympic Games. Photo / Getty Images

"In Tokyo, it was hot and humid," Woodman said.

"But we'd done some heat acclimatisation stuff prior to the Games last year before the Games were postponed.

"The Japanese did such an amazing job keeping things clear and precise around Covid regulations and cleaning facilities."

Woodman was born in Kawakawa in 1991 and spent her early years in Kaikohe, before the family moved to Auckland in 1997.

Her father, Kawhena, and uncle, Fred, both played for the All Blacks in the 1980s.

But the 30-year-old, of Ngāpuhi descent, didn't always have her eye on rugby.

Initially, Woodman wanted to be a sprinter and later converted to netball, playing for the Northern Mystics before switching to rugby union.

Besides playing provincial rugby for her home region Te Tai Tokerau, Woodman made her international rugby debut for New Zealand in 2013.

She has since won the 2013 and 2018 World Cup Sevens.

The accolades have come thick and fast: 2015 World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the Year; 2017 World Rugby Women's Player of the Year; 2020 top women's sevens player of the decade.

The Tokyo win earned Woodman her second gold medal, after the Black Ferns triumphed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Portia Woodman reacts as her team celebrates defeating France in the women's rugby gold medal match at the Summer Olympics. Photo / AP

When she is released from MIQ on Monday, she plans to spend quality time with her partner, fellow Black Ferns star Renee Wickliffe and their 9-year-old daughter Kaia at home in Mount Maunganui.

Then, during the rest of her six weeks of leave, there will be a few team catch-ups, seeing her parents and siblings, and media interviews.

"I have a few celebration gigs set up over the next week for the girls, and I want to set something up with the whānau up north.

"After seeing their celebrations after the final I was feeling left out. They set up at Ōhaeawai rugby club to watch the final – it looked really cool.

"There will be plenty of time to celebrate."

As for rugby: "I'd love to head back to Northland, depending on how the pool rounds go and I want to get back into 15s as well for the end-of-year tour.

"I'm still in discussions with the heads over there."

There are big personal goals on the horizon, too.

Portia Woodman and fiancee Renee Wickliffe at the Rugby Awards at Skycity in 2017. Photo / Norrrie Montgomery

Woodman and Wickliffe are to marry in Waimahana, 14km north of Taupō Bay in the Far North, at the end of this year.

"I'm really looking forward to it.

"At the moment, it's quite stressful trying to figure out a lot of little things.

"But at the end of the day as long as we've got enough food and alcohol and music, I'm happy."

Woodman credits Wickliffe, also a World Cup-winning Black Fern, for helping her back from a nightmare Achilles tendon tear sustained in 2018.

The injury forced a lengthy break, but she returned to the field last year with the pace and strength she is known for.

"She [Wickliffe] has had multiple injuries too, we've both been through some pretty decent injuries and surgeries so we know how to push each other or not, or be a person to vent to.

"She was in a sevens programme so she knows how hard it is to turn up to training every day.

"She's really good with challenging me and keeping me on track with rehab.

"We're lucky to have each other."

Woodman would love to go for another Olympics, and "try and have a baby or two at some stage".

"It's one of the fun things of being a female athlete, figuring out family in-between achieving your dreams."

Portia Woodman runs to score a try in New Zealand's women's rugby sevens semifinal match against Fiji at the Tokyo Olympics. Photo / AP

Being a role model to younger players has been something Woodman and her teammates have had to get their heads around.

"It changes the way you present yourself in the public eye. You know, when I was 7 I didn't have any rugby players to look up to.

"Now we're so visible for young girls we try our best to role model being great people rather than being great rugby players.

"All the girls in our squad are good people, we perform well for ourselves and each other.

"When we hear there's a girl that looks up to our team, we absolutely love that."

Woodman and Wickliffe's daughter plays in an all-girl rugby team at school.

"They're beating the boys' teams now, it's really amazing."

Her message to youngsters is to "find your passion".

"Listen to your parents and do everything you can to make your passion come to life, but if it changes, roll with it.

"Your passions and your dreams change. It's never straightforward - you've got to roll with it."