Black Fern's player Portia Woodham Wickliffe has become an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to rugby.
She entered the record books last week as the Black Fern's all-time leading try scorer when she scored seven try's in a row against the United States.
She joins the show to discuss her latest achievement.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
It be follow this and our wide range of podcasts
now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Now Keeping with Sport and also King's birthday? Really is
Black Ferm Porsche Woodman Wickcliff's a year today she became
an officer of the New Zealand Honor of Merit for
her services to rugby. Just last week she was making
news she entered the Black Ferms record books for the
Black firms all time leading tri scorer and in that
(00:38):
game against the United States, she scored seven tries in
a row, seven in a row, and Porsche Woodman Wickcliffe
joins me. Now, good morning, killer Andrew, how are you good?
What a week for you?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Yeah? It's then crazy, all right?
Speaker 1 (00:56):
So you're now an officer of the New Zealand Honor
of Merit, And like its name, it's a big honor.
Growing up in Carver CoA and playing in net ball,
in your rugby and all and doing some would a
young Porsche ever have imagined that this sort of thing
could have happened.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Definitely not. I look back at young Porsche and even
at high school I was looking at the sports honors
board thinking that would be cool. To get on that
hit my high school. So to even think that I've
been recognized for the King's Honors, it's been it's absolutely unreal.
I actually kind of even I can't believe it, to.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Be honest, Well, Weekend, you deserve it. What does it
actually mean to you? I mean, because it means a
lot to us, It means a lot to New Zealanders
to honor you because you've been awesome and you've been
a bad rock on the team. But the question I
have is when you get an honor like this, what
does it mean to you? And how do you deal
with it going forward?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
I guess if I was to think about, like in
the past, the people have received such honors, its been
people we've looked up to, and you know, you aspire
to be to have the impact that they do, and
I guess you don't really register the impact that I
haven't registered the impact that I've had on rugby or
(02:20):
in my community. So it's pretty unbelievable. But such a
cool and such an amazing honor to have, as cliche
as it is, because it's obviously been recognized by some
amazing people, and going forward, I guess it just allows
me to continue doing what I'm doing, which is having
(02:42):
fun playing rugby, and in turn, I will eventually give
back to my com community where I make it possible.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
You're so humble, and in fact, I find this quite
often when I'm talking to sports people, particularly people in
the rugby field. Where do you get all this humility from?
Because we all knew you were awesome, but it sounds
like you didn't quite think so yourself.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
You know. I think for me, it's always I wouldn't
have the recognition, I wouldn't have the awards that I
do have if it wasn't for my teammates. And that's
not me just being stupidly humble. It's a fact in
my head that I wouldn't be able to perform the
way that I do if it wasn't. It seemed not
necessarily just on the field, but off the field. We've
(03:27):
created in the environments I've been a part of. It's
an environment that encourages people to be their absolute best,
and there's so much support and all of that around it,
and so whatever success that an individual receives, it is
part of the part of what the team has provided
as well, and so I'm very grateful for that. And
(03:49):
I do acknowledge that there has been a lot of work.
I've come a long way since starting in twenty twelve,
and even prior to twenty twelve, there's a lot of
work gone into training for athletics and netball. And I
wouldn't be the person or the player that I am
if it wasn't for all my hard work up to
this point. It's just very hard to ActNow this is
(04:10):
this award, this recognition, So yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Yeah, it's all cool. A lot of these awards they
go to people who have been great in the sports field,
but often because of also what they do after their
sports career. And I don't want to be a downer,
but it's fair to say you're closer to the end
of your career than you are to the beginning of
your career, and now you have this honor as well.
And of course you actually came into sporting through a
(04:36):
community campaign called goph for Gold. So can I presume
that you're going to use this honor and your sporting
success to inspire kid athletes going forward after you've left
the game.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Absolutely. My wife and I, if we were to live
out our dream, would be to give back to our communities.
My wife is from paidor I'm from kai Que up north,
So ideally it would be to go back to those
communities and inspire children more people, not just to follow rugby,
but to follow in any power or any dream that
they want to pursue. So ideally, definitely want to give
(05:11):
back to our communities, give back to the people that
helped us get to where we are. But also just
there's more to There's got to be more to playing
rugby than just the on field and the teams and
the rugby and the playing and all that. It's like
you said, the life after rugby and giving back in
inspiring young children for the future.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Well you've already done the inspiration. It will only get
better going forward. Portia, let's talk about the rugby for
a while there, we thought you'd been lost to rugby.
Why did you come back here?
Speaker 2 (05:42):
I would have thought the same too. I think ultimately
the Blues environment was really amazing. I did a so
we did Olympics. I said I was retiring. I had
an amazing holiday with my Fino throughout Europe, came back
to New zald and we went to Japan.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Oh Man.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
I loved that experience, learning to connect with new people,
obviously with a language barrier, that getting to connect on
the level that everyone just understands rugby, and from that
led into Blues and again I really enjoyed that environment,
the people, the management, the rugby. I was learning a
lot as I was playing a new position, and so
(06:19):
from that I just couldn't imagine stepping away when I
know I still have a little bit left to give,
not a little bit left. I know I still want
to pursue further than rugby, and I love the learning
part of it. And with Center and heading into this
World Cup, I knew there was a lot more that
I actually wanted to learn from my positional from a
(06:41):
position of playing winger and potentially seventh center. So I
put my hand up and thank goodness once. And the
management from Black Friends are really supportive. They understood that
I was a previously retired athlete, so that meant there
was a lot of eating some amazing kai and celebrating
along the way. So it's been very supportive and accepted
(07:03):
the training program to it.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
You were retired, but there was also a talk of
your going to a league and going to the NRL,
but that deal fell through. Did it not, so you
now committed to the Black Ferns or to Rugby to
the end of your career.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yes, I'm committed to rugby till the end of this year,
hoping to you know, I'm putting my hand up for
World Cup and we've got a few more camps leading
up to that point. But yeah, I'm committed to the
Black Ferns and I just want to learn and grow
as much as I can in this year. Anyways.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Yeah, and I see that Mart Bunting says, what we've
got a few months before the World Cup. We've got
a few games including England. Goodness me, that's going to
be a toughye. So but he also said everything is
still in the air, so let's cross our fingers for
you because you never know you might not make it.
Could you imagine that?
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Yeah, well that is an actual fact. And I think
if I was to really be honest, I would give
everything I possibly can. I'd be disappointed, definitely, but I
know that the team will put the management will want
the best team for the World Cup, and if that's
not me in it, then casey pai, I'm looking. Look
looks like I'll have to book my tickets and follow
the timer all over London as well. So no, that
(08:12):
is the pure reality of professional sports.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
And now, look, I think you actually put your hand
up very very well last weekend with seven tries against
the United States of America, and you didn't even realize
how many you'd scored.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
No, people think I'm being silly, but I really thought
I was like, oh, maybe five, but I lost track.
And I think more of the point that there was
a few tries where I didn't quite think that I
got it, like the silly one in the corner and
Georgia's drop ball in the middle of the field. Like
I thought those tries weren't quite real, so I kind
of miscounted them. And so no, those seven tries are
(08:49):
definitely a result of the team.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Doug Hell holds the record. Do you think I forgot
what number that is? But it's very big. Do you
think you could ever break that one? Oh?
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Man, I've got a couple of games less than as
an opportunity, I could give it a good crack. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
And do records mean things to you or and I
presume they don't, because you do it for the team
and as long as you win, you win.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Yeah. No, I don't pay attention to any of this.
Like at the end of that USA game, I had
no idea there was a record even on the cards,
so I have no idea. It's just me doing my job.
My job is to finish it. The ford Us who
get us those games in the middle so they won't
has a role and that is my role to finish
the trice.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Now, how is women's rugby in New Zealand? We had
some pretty good crowds what was it about seven thousand
at North Harbor Stadium and a similar number down in
christ Stururch. Does that pleasing or do you think the
game's got even more to grow?
Speaker 2 (09:46):
I think we've got more to grow, definitely. Right, Like
we finished the World Cup, we had a full sell
out at Eden Park, but then you know, the next
year we had WXV in New Zealand and the crowds
were empty again. So I think leading into the World
Cup there was a lot of work put into promoting
the games, promoting the World Cups, getting people aware of
the environment. They had a taste of it at World Cup,
(10:08):
but we haven't really seen much of that again. So
I'd love to see women the girls' stories, all players
and every team getting says, tell this story to make
it relatable to everyone in the country, but also just
promoting the games wherever it is that that would help
a lot. You know, you look at the europe competitions
and they've got sold out stadiums almost every weekend. People flocks.
(10:30):
They they're they're absolute die hard fans. So I think
we've got a little way to go here in but
I think, you know, a lot of us get stuck
into or I'll just sit on my couch and watch
it on the TV because it's as cozy and I
can watch multiple games. So it's difficult and I understand that,
but it happened before it happened at the World Cup.
We can definitely get people on seats. It's just we
(10:51):
need more, I guess, people getting out there and experience
and showing what the game is about.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Well as an excitement machine, which is what I think
you are. You certainly when you go to watch Porsche
with the Black Ferns play, you know you're going to
get some excitement. I love the way you cut up
right through the middle of the field virtually first touch
of the ball. The other game, I went, oh she's back,
Oh my goodness to me, she's back. It's so good.
You have inspired many people, you have entertained many people,
and you have been deservedly rewarded for that with your
(11:19):
new honor in the King's Birthday Honors. So we wish
you all the best going forward and bring that cup back,
Porsche Woman.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Thank you. That is the plan.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
For more from News Talks at b Listen live on
air or online, and
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Keep our shows with you wherever you go with our
podcasts on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
It be follow this and our wide range of podcasts
now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Now Keeping with Sport and also King's birthday? Really is
Black Ferm Porsche Woodman Wickcliff's a year today she became
an officer of the New Zealand Honor of Merit for
her services to rugby. Just last week she was making
news she entered the Black Ferms record books for the
Black firms all time leading tri scorer and in that
(00:38):
game against the United States, she scored seven tries in
a row, seven in a row, and Porsche Woodman Wickcliffe
joins me. Now, good morning, killer Andrew, how are you good?
What a week for you?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Yeah? It's then crazy, all right?
Speaker 1 (00:56):
So you're now an officer of the New Zealand Honor
of Merit, And like its name, it's a big honor.
Growing up in Carver CoA and playing in net ball,
in your rugby and all and doing some would a
young Porsche ever have imagined that this sort of thing
could have happened.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Definitely not. I look back at young Porsche and even
at high school I was looking at the sports honors
board thinking that would be cool. To get on that
hit my high school. So to even think that I've
been recognized for the King's Honors, it's been it's absolutely unreal.
I actually kind of even I can't believe it, to.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Be honest, Well, Weekend, you deserve it. What does it
actually mean to you? I mean, because it means a
lot to us, It means a lot to New Zealanders
to honor you because you've been awesome and you've been
a bad rock on the team. But the question I
have is when you get an honor like this, what
does it mean to you? And how do you deal
with it going forward?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
I guess if I was to think about, like in
the past, the people have received such honors, its been
people we've looked up to, and you know, you aspire
to be to have the impact that they do, and
I guess you don't really register the impact that I
haven't registered the impact that I've had on rugby or
(02:20):
in my community. So it's pretty unbelievable. But such a
cool and such an amazing honor to have, as cliche
as it is, because it's obviously been recognized by some
amazing people, and going forward, I guess it just allows
me to continue doing what I'm doing, which is having
(02:42):
fun playing rugby, and in turn, I will eventually give
back to my com community where I make it possible.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
You're so humble, and in fact, I find this quite
often when I'm talking to sports people, particularly people in
the rugby field. Where do you get all this humility from?
Because we all knew you were awesome, but it sounds
like you didn't quite think so yourself.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
You know. I think for me, it's always I wouldn't
have the recognition, I wouldn't have the awards that I
do have if it wasn't for my teammates. And that's
not me just being stupidly humble. It's a fact in
my head that I wouldn't be able to perform the
way that I do if it wasn't. It seemed not
necessarily just on the field, but off the field. We've
(03:27):
created in the environments I've been a part of. It's
an environment that encourages people to be their absolute best,
and there's so much support and all of that around it,
and so whatever success that an individual receives, it is
part of the part of what the team has provided
as well, and so I'm very grateful for that. And
(03:49):
I do acknowledge that there has been a lot of work.
I've come a long way since starting in twenty twelve,
and even prior to twenty twelve, there's a lot of
work gone into training for athletics and netball. And I
wouldn't be the person or the player that I am
if it wasn't for all my hard work up to
this point. It's just very hard to ActNow this is
(04:10):
this award, this recognition, So yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Yeah, it's all cool. A lot of these awards they
go to people who have been great in the sports field,
but often because of also what they do after their
sports career. And I don't want to be a downer,
but it's fair to say you're closer to the end
of your career than you are to the beginning of
your career, and now you have this honor as well.
And of course you actually came into sporting through a
(04:36):
community campaign called goph for Gold. So can I presume
that you're going to use this honor and your sporting
success to inspire kid athletes going forward after you've left
the game.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Absolutely. My wife and I, if we were to live
out our dream, would be to give back to our communities.
My wife is from paidor I'm from kai Que up north,
So ideally it would be to go back to those
communities and inspire children more people, not just to follow rugby,
but to follow in any power or any dream that
they want to pursue. So ideally, definitely want to give
(05:11):
back to our communities, give back to the people that
helped us get to where we are. But also just
there's more to There's got to be more to playing
rugby than just the on field and the teams and
the rugby and the playing and all that. It's like
you said, the life after rugby and giving back in
inspiring young children for the future.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Well you've already done the inspiration. It will only get
better going forward. Portia, let's talk about the rugby for
a while there, we thought you'd been lost to rugby.
Why did you come back here?
Speaker 2 (05:42):
I would have thought the same too. I think ultimately
the Blues environment was really amazing. I did a so
we did Olympics. I said I was retiring. I had
an amazing holiday with my Fino throughout Europe, came back
to New zald and we went to Japan.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Oh Man.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
I loved that experience, learning to connect with new people,
obviously with a language barrier, that getting to connect on
the level that everyone just understands rugby, and from that
led into Blues and again I really enjoyed that environment,
the people, the management, the rugby. I was learning a
lot as I was playing a new position, and so
(06:19):
from that I just couldn't imagine stepping away when I
know I still have a little bit left to give,
not a little bit left. I know I still want
to pursue further than rugby, and I love the learning
part of it. And with Center and heading into this
World Cup, I knew there was a lot more that
I actually wanted to learn from my positional from a
(06:41):
position of playing winger and potentially seventh center. So I
put my hand up and thank goodness once. And the
management from Black Friends are really supportive. They understood that
I was a previously retired athlete, so that meant there
was a lot of eating some amazing kai and celebrating
along the way. So it's been very supportive and accepted
(07:03):
the training program to it.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
You were retired, but there was also a talk of
your going to a league and going to the NRL,
but that deal fell through. Did it not, so you
now committed to the Black Ferns or to Rugby to
the end of your career.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yes, I'm committed to rugby till the end of this year,
hoping to you know, I'm putting my hand up for
World Cup and we've got a few more camps leading
up to that point. But yeah, I'm committed to the
Black Ferns and I just want to learn and grow
as much as I can in this year. Anyways.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Yeah, and I see that Mart Bunting says, what we've
got a few months before the World Cup. We've got
a few games including England. Goodness me, that's going to
be a toughye. So but he also said everything is
still in the air, so let's cross our fingers for
you because you never know you might not make it.
Could you imagine that?
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Yeah, well that is an actual fact. And I think
if I was to really be honest, I would give
everything I possibly can. I'd be disappointed, definitely, but I
know that the team will put the management will want
the best team for the World Cup, and if that's
not me in it, then casey pai, I'm looking. Look
looks like I'll have to book my tickets and follow
the timer all over London as well. So no, that
(08:12):
is the pure reality of professional sports.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
And now, look, I think you actually put your hand
up very very well last weekend with seven tries against
the United States of America, and you didn't even realize
how many you'd scored.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
No, people think I'm being silly, but I really thought
I was like, oh, maybe five, but I lost track.
And I think more of the point that there was
a few tries where I didn't quite think that I
got it, like the silly one in the corner and
Georgia's drop ball in the middle of the field. Like
I thought those tries weren't quite real, so I kind
of miscounted them. And so no, those seven tries are
(08:49):
definitely a result of the team.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Doug Hell holds the record. Do you think I forgot
what number that is? But it's very big. Do you
think you could ever break that one? Oh?
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Man, I've got a couple of games less than as
an opportunity, I could give it a good crack. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
And do records mean things to you or and I
presume they don't, because you do it for the team
and as long as you win, you win.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Yeah. No, I don't pay attention to any of this.
Like at the end of that USA game, I had
no idea there was a record even on the cards,
so I have no idea. It's just me doing my job.
My job is to finish it. The ford Us who
get us those games in the middle so they won't
has a role and that is my role to finish
the trice.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Now, how is women's rugby in New Zealand? We had
some pretty good crowds what was it about seven thousand
at North Harbor Stadium and a similar number down in
christ Stururch. Does that pleasing or do you think the
game's got even more to grow?
Speaker 2 (09:46):
I think we've got more to grow, definitely. Right, Like
we finished the World Cup, we had a full sell
out at Eden Park, but then you know, the next
year we had WXV in New Zealand and the crowds
were empty again. So I think leading into the World
Cup there was a lot of work put into promoting
the games, promoting the World Cups, getting people aware of
the environment. They had a taste of it at World Cup,
(10:08):
but we haven't really seen much of that again. So
I'd love to see women the girls' stories, all players
and every team getting says, tell this story to make
it relatable to everyone in the country, but also just
promoting the games wherever it is that that would help
a lot. You know, you look at the europe competitions
and they've got sold out stadiums almost every weekend. People flocks.
(10:30):
They they're they're absolute die hard fans. So I think
we've got a little way to go here in but
I think, you know, a lot of us get stuck
into or I'll just sit on my couch and watch
it on the TV because it's as cozy and I
can watch multiple games. So it's difficult and I understand that,
but it happened before it happened at the World Cup.
We can definitely get people on seats. It's just we
(10:51):
need more, I guess, people getting out there and experience
and showing what the game is about.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Well as an excitement machine, which is what I think
you are. You certainly when you go to watch Porsche
with the Black Ferns play, you know you're going to
get some excitement. I love the way you cut up
right through the middle of the field virtually first touch
of the ball. The other game, I went, oh she's back,
Oh my goodness to me, she's back. It's so good.
You have inspired many people, you have entertained many people,
and you have been deservedly rewarded for that with your
(11:19):
new honor in the King's Birthday Honors. So we wish
you all the best going forward and bring that cup back,
Porsche Woman.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Thank you. That is the plan.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
For more from News Talks at b Listen live on
air or online, and
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Keep our shows with you wherever you go with our
podcasts on iHeartRadio.
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