July 2, 2024 • 12 mins
Black Ferns legend Portia Woodman-Wickliffe joined D'Arcy Waldegrave to discuss her decision to retire from the International game.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB and Is Big.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Hello on the program to Porsche Woodman Wickcliffe. They're retiring Porsche.
She joins us, Good day to you, Porsche. What drove
this decision? Why did you decide to finally pull the
pin on what's been an outstanding career.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I think ultimately being really happy was where I am.
I'm physically at my peak mentally at a stage where
I'm absolutely comfortable and happy. I can walk away knowing
what I've done and the things I've achieved have.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Been really awesome and really cool.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
I'm not saying goodbye forever so Rugby. It's just the
pressures and the expectations and everything comes with the black jersey.
I'm still playing Ruggian, still playing everything else, just the
black jersey. I'm ready to have a breakthump, So it's
good goodbye. Like I'm not sour in anyway. I'm doing
(01:08):
this in my own accord because I'm happy.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
So what black jersey, both of them sevens and fifteen's
it's just curtains to international representation.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Yeah, ultimately with the black jersey within sevens and fifteen
there's restrictions now obviously fully time, full time professional athletes,
and you're living a dream, right, an absolute dream to
be able to eat free play rugby day in and
day out. But with that it also has restrictions. I
want to go and play touch, I want to play
(01:41):
net for I want to go snowboarding down and Papa
or I want to go snowboarding down in Queenstown. So
that is the part that I'm really looking forward to,
having a bit of freedom to go and do and
play everything that's up there, and it's a it's a
privileged space to be in that I can boos on
my own terms.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Got to ask, are you go for your regular.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
Regular?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
I want to thought more from you all these things
you want to do because of the restrictions that Rugby
have put upon you. And you mentioned netball and I'm
supposed to be wind back a few years when you're
a promising young netball a bit, but rugby took over.
That was the right decision. You're happy with where you went,
the direction you took.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Portion, Yeah, I ultimately it happened because of a few things.
I made the team for Fiji and Oceani and twenty
twelve went along. First three minutes of the first game
against Tonga, I fractured my shoulder, played throughout the tournament,
came back, talked to my Mystics coach and said, I
need you to play NPC to get a trial for
(02:45):
the Mystics.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
So that was not possible I.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Had I couldn't play, so that determined my contract with
the Mystics. Then with the New zealandt Accelerant squad, because
I went off to play rugby, I was, you know,
not in that squad anymore. So it was it happened
the way it happened, with an injury, But I think, yeah, absolutely,
the making the dec to play rugby to have a
crackic gold in Rio was the best decision ever and
(03:12):
I wouldn't be the player I am if it wasn't
From therefore, I loved it. I will wholeheartedly wanted to
be a sore friend. But this little cherry on the
side that was talking to me about rugby on the
side becoming an Olympians chasing the Golden Rio was just
too big of a cherry that I couldn't goove up.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
You've had a storied and celebrated and decorated career, Porsche,
is there any game or any area or any section
that you look back on with the most pride, Not
necessarily around maybe the gong you picked up, the gold championship,
but an era at a time where you went that is
Porsche Wooman Wickcliffe. This is what it means for me
(03:51):
to be a rugby player.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
I think just last year coming back from World Cup,
well after the concussion, I couldn't train and call goodbye.
Got married at the end of the year, so it
was a very busy year. Come back to this seventh season.
I was unsure how well I was going to go
in that season. Should I retire, should I have left
us the fifteens?
Speaker 4 (04:13):
All of that was.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Going through my head. But after, you know, slowly progressing
through the World Series, I realized that this is my
chance to just give my absolute best to each opportunity
in this career, in this game, and I wanted to
get to the Olympics in the best physical condition that
I could be. And whether I make the team or
whether I don't, that was deside. The point is I
(04:37):
just wanted to do in the best physical condition and
so heading into this year, I've probably been the best
I've ever been, and that's not necessarily just on the field,
but mentally. I spoke about it earlier on in this
week that self that I was quite a big plague
in my friend It held me back aloft, and now
(04:58):
looking into this season, there was nothing to worry myself.
It was just go out there and do what I do.
If I'm running over people, if I'm running around people,
or if I'm draking five people. So MICHAELA. Blake can
score three tries in the final, I'm happy about that
because that is my job. So I think in the
last year I've actually been like, yeah, this is what
Porsha Woodman was. Cliff is all about. Porsha.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Though at that level, you're at the comfort you feel
mentally and physically awfully difficult to walk away at the top.
I'm presuming you talk to your wife around this, you
talk to your family as well about this decision, because
you've got you've got to admire the fact you're walking
out at the top. It still must have been tough.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Absolutely. I was a long discussion with my wife, Renee.
I'm grateful that she also went through it as well.
Like having to retire from and from rugby and having
his career for fourteen years then the game. It is
definitely a big, big decision and I'm you know, I'm
not qualified in anything else, but I do no rite man.
(06:07):
I've been lucky enough to create some connections and create networking.
I'll do some networking throughout my career. That also brings
with a difficult but exciting side is trying to find
out financially what I'm going to do next for the
rest of my life. The conversation I had with my dad,
because he played Norfalkland until he was thirty. He retired
(06:29):
when he was thirty, purely because I think I was
coming around. He had been through a lot of injuries
and when he was because they were paid working and
getting injured was a big toll on the family. So
he retired. And he always said to me, Poorsha, it's
a long time resided, stay in it as long as
you can. You know, once you leave you can't go back.
So that was the fasion of that, and throughout the
(06:50):
last couple of years, definitely been long talks about that
with mum, dad, my wife, friends, but ultimately walking away
at the peak, at the peak of my career, for
my physical abability. I'm really happy to do that. And
talking with my coach was Corey this morning, it wasn't
(07:12):
about you know, I'm not sour with the environment. I'm
not sour with power we've been going.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
I'm so happy.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
I'm happy to walk away right now. The girls are
in a really good place. There's some young talent coming
through and I'm excited to see where they go. But
I'm just I'm happy to walk away right now.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
I heard rumors that you might sign on the dotted
line and play a bit of league for the Wahini Warriors.
Is there a there a thought process around that year
and not?
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Oh, league is definitely an option. I haven't thought about
where we're going yet. I've watched Nil and Gale. They've
absolutely thrived over there.
Speaker 5 (07:52):
I've picked Tyler's brain about every little aspect of what
league is like and the set up and all of
that over there, so I've definitely heard some really amazing
things about it. I want to have a crack at league.
I think I have an opportunity there to you know,
play a bit of something and I can see where
my strength and my abilities can in to that game.
To be honest, I haven't thought about where we're going, but.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
I know that there are a lot of opportunities and
who knows us is today who might come knocking on
the door.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
What about coaching do you want to give back to
the game. Is that somewhere you think you might be
able to grow and actually build a career? Do you
think much about that portion?
Speaker 3 (08:28):
I think you know what people say, like you either
can or use fun and for me, I probably at
this stage in my career, I don't see my stuff
coaching only because having experienced a lot of coaches within
seven and fifteen, you.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
Know what it takes to be a really cool, awesome
coach and I probably lack of a fair bit in
that and I guess obviously haven't worked into it and
haven't dived deeper into those areas which I think is
the connection being able to connect with people and bring
out the best in people. I'm I'm still learning about
in that part.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
But ultimately, yes, I'd love to give back to the game.
Cody is very close to my heart. You know, say
in five to ten years time, I'd love to be
living back up Prankypo, helping out the game, the North
Northland Game or the Northland Club Region, all that sort
of stuff. I definitely want to give back to the game,
whether it's head coach role or probably like a skill
(09:25):
set or a skills role, skills coaching role, that's probably
where I'm leaning towards, but definitely want to head back
backward the game in the future. I'm not sure of
that's the coaching role yet.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
I think it's fair to say, Porsa that you are
an icon of the game. You are a role model
in that game. You are a woman that's done extraordinarily
well in rugby union and in sevens as well. How
does that sit with you? The fact that you walk
away from the game with so many goals I can't
(09:57):
even start to listen the amount of tries you've scored,
the amount of tournaments that you've won, the ability that
you've got. Is this something that you're willing to carry
and maybe share to help the next generation of players
come through?
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Absolutely? You know. I want people from all walks of life,
all these girls, moms, dads, nannies and quarrels. I want
everyone to hear our story, not just myself, but all
the girls that have come through the ranks I've been
I think I've been fortunate enough to thrive in our
environments because our environment allows you to Our environments allow
(10:35):
you to be your insects self. And you know, past
coaches have always encouraged us to be who you are,
whether you're the clown, whether you're the dancer, whether you're
the quiet one or I'm just a little one. Like
you're allowed to be who you are. You're encouraged to
be there and thrive in that environment because that's the
boost way we're going to get the best rugby out
(10:56):
of you. And I think heading forward, like it's just
something that I'm really grateful to be a part of
the likes of and a richer Vanessa Coats, Regina Sheck,
like these ladies paid the way they played the game
for the absolute pure of the game, pure love of
the game, and unfortunately they didn't get the lights that
(11:18):
we now get. And I'm grateful that I've been able
to see it progress through the years. You know, back
in at the start of sevens we were paid and
it progressed really fast with fifteens the same thing not
getting paid now fully professional. I'm grateful that I've been
able to experience that and to know that being the
inspiration for young girls. I have a twelve year old
(11:39):
girl and she plays in them all girls under twelve
team here in Totunga and the girls that come through.
There's still girls that come through that have never played
rugby but have just watched our team and love rugby
and they want to have a crack. I know that
I have had an impact on girls like that is unreal.
It's a privilege and it's an honor. It's not something
I take lightly. And I know my teammates are the same.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
It's been an absolute joy watching you ply your craft
or across the world, across a couple of different formats. Porsche,
Woodman Wickcliffe wishing you the happiest of retirements and let's
hope that when you walk away from the game at
that top level, you've got a big goal, bit of
tin hanging around your neck.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
That's the plan, right, Yes, that's the plan.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live to News Talks
it'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB and Is Big.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Hello on the program to Porsche Woodman Wickcliffe. They're retiring Porsche.
She joins us, Good day to you, Porsche. What drove
this decision? Why did you decide to finally pull the
pin on what's been an outstanding career.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I think ultimately being really happy was where I am.
I'm physically at my peak mentally at a stage where
I'm absolutely comfortable and happy. I can walk away knowing
what I've done and the things I've achieved have.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Been really awesome and really cool.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
I'm not saying goodbye forever so Rugby. It's just the
pressures and the expectations and everything comes with the black jersey.
I'm still playing Ruggian, still playing everything else, just the
black jersey. I'm ready to have a breakthump, So it's
good goodbye. Like I'm not sour in anyway. I'm doing
(01:08):
this in my own accord because I'm happy.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
So what black jersey, both of them sevens and fifteen's
it's just curtains to international representation.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Yeah, ultimately with the black jersey within sevens and fifteen
there's restrictions now obviously fully time, full time professional athletes,
and you're living a dream, right, an absolute dream to
be able to eat free play rugby day in and
day out. But with that it also has restrictions. I
want to go and play touch, I want to play
(01:41):
net for I want to go snowboarding down and Papa
or I want to go snowboarding down in Queenstown. So
that is the part that I'm really looking forward to,
having a bit of freedom to go and do and
play everything that's up there, and it's a it's a
privileged space to be in that I can boos on
my own terms.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Got to ask, are you go for your regular.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
Regular?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
I want to thought more from you all these things
you want to do because of the restrictions that Rugby
have put upon you. And you mentioned netball and I'm
supposed to be wind back a few years when you're
a promising young netball a bit, but rugby took over.
That was the right decision. You're happy with where you went,
the direction you took.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Portion, Yeah, I ultimately it happened because of a few things.
I made the team for Fiji and Oceani and twenty
twelve went along. First three minutes of the first game
against Tonga, I fractured my shoulder, played throughout the tournament,
came back, talked to my Mystics coach and said, I
need you to play NPC to get a trial for
(02:45):
the Mystics.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
So that was not possible I.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Had I couldn't play, so that determined my contract with
the Mystics. Then with the New zealandt Accelerant squad, because
I went off to play rugby, I was, you know,
not in that squad anymore. So it was it happened
the way it happened, with an injury, But I think, yeah, absolutely,
the making the dec to play rugby to have a
crackic gold in Rio was the best decision ever and
(03:12):
I wouldn't be the player I am if it wasn't
From therefore, I loved it. I will wholeheartedly wanted to
be a sore friend. But this little cherry on the
side that was talking to me about rugby on the
side becoming an Olympians chasing the Golden Rio was just
too big of a cherry that I couldn't goove up.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
You've had a storied and celebrated and decorated career, Porsche,
is there any game or any area or any section
that you look back on with the most pride, Not
necessarily around maybe the gong you picked up, the gold championship,
but an era at a time where you went that is
Porsche Wooman Wickcliffe. This is what it means for me
(03:51):
to be a rugby player.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
I think just last year coming back from World Cup,
well after the concussion, I couldn't train and call goodbye.
Got married at the end of the year, so it
was a very busy year. Come back to this seventh season.
I was unsure how well I was going to go
in that season. Should I retire, should I have left
us the fifteens?
Speaker 4 (04:13):
All of that was.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Going through my head. But after, you know, slowly progressing
through the World Series, I realized that this is my
chance to just give my absolute best to each opportunity
in this career, in this game, and I wanted to
get to the Olympics in the best physical condition that
I could be. And whether I make the team or
whether I don't, that was deside. The point is I
(04:37):
just wanted to do in the best physical condition and
so heading into this year, I've probably been the best
I've ever been, and that's not necessarily just on the field,
but mentally. I spoke about it earlier on in this
week that self that I was quite a big plague
in my friend It held me back aloft, and now
(04:58):
looking into this season, there was nothing to worry myself.
It was just go out there and do what I do.
If I'm running over people, if I'm running around people,
or if I'm draking five people. So MICHAELA. Blake can
score three tries in the final, I'm happy about that
because that is my job. So I think in the
last year I've actually been like, yeah, this is what
Porsha Woodman was. Cliff is all about. Porsha.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Though at that level, you're at the comfort you feel
mentally and physically awfully difficult to walk away at the top.
I'm presuming you talk to your wife around this, you
talk to your family as well about this decision, because
you've got you've got to admire the fact you're walking
out at the top. It still must have been tough.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Absolutely. I was a long discussion with my wife, Renee.
I'm grateful that she also went through it as well.
Like having to retire from and from rugby and having
his career for fourteen years then the game. It is
definitely a big, big decision and I'm you know, I'm
not qualified in anything else, but I do no rite man.
(06:07):
I've been lucky enough to create some connections and create networking.
I'll do some networking throughout my career. That also brings
with a difficult but exciting side is trying to find
out financially what I'm going to do next for the
rest of my life. The conversation I had with my dad,
because he played Norfalkland until he was thirty. He retired
(06:29):
when he was thirty, purely because I think I was
coming around. He had been through a lot of injuries
and when he was because they were paid working and
getting injured was a big toll on the family. So
he retired. And he always said to me, Poorsha, it's
a long time resided, stay in it as long as
you can. You know, once you leave you can't go back.
So that was the fasion of that, and throughout the
(06:50):
last couple of years, definitely been long talks about that
with mum, dad, my wife, friends, but ultimately walking away
at the peak, at the peak of my career, for
my physical abability. I'm really happy to do that. And
talking with my coach was Corey this morning, it wasn't
(07:12):
about you know, I'm not sour with the environment. I'm
not sour with power we've been going.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
I'm so happy.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
I'm happy to walk away right now. The girls are
in a really good place. There's some young talent coming
through and I'm excited to see where they go. But
I'm just I'm happy to walk away right now.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
I heard rumors that you might sign on the dotted
line and play a bit of league for the Wahini Warriors.
Is there a there a thought process around that year
and not?
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Oh, league is definitely an option. I haven't thought about
where we're going yet. I've watched Nil and Gale. They've
absolutely thrived over there.
Speaker 5 (07:52):
I've picked Tyler's brain about every little aspect of what
league is like and the set up and all of
that over there, so I've definitely heard some really amazing
things about it. I want to have a crack at league.
I think I have an opportunity there to you know,
play a bit of something and I can see where
my strength and my abilities can in to that game.
To be honest, I haven't thought about where we're going, but.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
I know that there are a lot of opportunities and
who knows us is today who might come knocking on
the door.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
What about coaching do you want to give back to
the game. Is that somewhere you think you might be
able to grow and actually build a career? Do you
think much about that portion?
Speaker 3 (08:28):
I think you know what people say, like you either
can or use fun and for me, I probably at
this stage in my career, I don't see my stuff
coaching only because having experienced a lot of coaches within
seven and fifteen, you.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
Know what it takes to be a really cool, awesome
coach and I probably lack of a fair bit in
that and I guess obviously haven't worked into it and
haven't dived deeper into those areas which I think is
the connection being able to connect with people and bring
out the best in people. I'm I'm still learning about
in that part.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
But ultimately, yes, I'd love to give back to the game.
Cody is very close to my heart. You know, say
in five to ten years time, I'd love to be
living back up Prankypo, helping out the game, the North
Northland Game or the Northland Club Region, all that sort
of stuff. I definitely want to give back to the game,
whether it's head coach role or probably like a skill
(09:25):
set or a skills role, skills coaching role, that's probably
where I'm leaning towards, but definitely want to head back
backward the game in the future. I'm not sure of
that's the coaching role yet.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
I think it's fair to say, Porsa that you are
an icon of the game. You are a role model
in that game. You are a woman that's done extraordinarily
well in rugby union and in sevens as well. How
does that sit with you? The fact that you walk
away from the game with so many goals I can't
(09:57):
even start to listen the amount of tries you've scored,
the amount of tournaments that you've won, the ability that
you've got. Is this something that you're willing to carry
and maybe share to help the next generation of players
come through?
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Absolutely? You know. I want people from all walks of life,
all these girls, moms, dads, nannies and quarrels. I want
everyone to hear our story, not just myself, but all
the girls that have come through the ranks I've been
I think I've been fortunate enough to thrive in our
environments because our environment allows you to Our environments allow
(10:35):
you to be your insects self. And you know, past
coaches have always encouraged us to be who you are,
whether you're the clown, whether you're the dancer, whether you're
the quiet one or I'm just a little one. Like
you're allowed to be who you are. You're encouraged to
be there and thrive in that environment because that's the
boost way we're going to get the best rugby out
(10:56):
of you. And I think heading forward, like it's just
something that I'm really grateful to be a part of
the likes of and a richer Vanessa Coats, Regina Sheck,
like these ladies paid the way they played the game
for the absolute pure of the game, pure love of
the game, and unfortunately they didn't get the lights that
(11:18):
we now get. And I'm grateful that I've been able
to see it progress through the years. You know, back
in at the start of sevens we were paid and
it progressed really fast with fifteens the same thing not
getting paid now fully professional. I'm grateful that I've been
able to experience that and to know that being the
inspiration for young girls. I have a twelve year old
(11:39):
girl and she plays in them all girls under twelve
team here in Totunga and the girls that come through.
There's still girls that come through that have never played
rugby but have just watched our team and love rugby
and they want to have a crack. I know that
I have had an impact on girls like that is unreal.
It's a privilege and it's an honor. It's not something
I take lightly. And I know my teammates are the same.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
It's been an absolute joy watching you ply your craft
or across the world, across a couple of different formats. Porsche,
Woodman Wickcliffe wishing you the happiest of retirements and let's
hope that when you walk away from the game at
that top level, you've got a big goal, bit of
tin hanging around your neck.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
That's the plan, right, Yes, that's the plan.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live to News Talks
it'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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