D'Arcy Waldegrave: Sportstalk host on Portia Woodman-Wickliffe retiring from international rugby after Olympic triumph

After 12 years of playing international rugby, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe is craving normality.

The 33-year-old Black Ferns sevens star is retiring from the international game with two Olympics golds and a silver following her latest Paris triumph.

Woodman-Wickliffe scored more than a try a game in almost 250 sevens appearances for New Zealand - but she's happy to step back from the spotlight.

Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Started to talk sport, and Darcy Watergrave was already talking
to me.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Of course I was, and.

Speaker 1 (00:04):
We were talking us.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
For the warning that you're turning the mic on Andrew
love your work. I could have been saying anything.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Where you were you're talking about you're talking about puffa
jackets and hats.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
I actually talking about. You were mentioning the OUDI day
down at the snowfalls, and I did a Mercedes day
a few years back. Stunning. It was a whole weekend.
It was amazing.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Hello, I would like to be invited to think very much.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Powered cars of the ice brilliant.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
We got a gold medal finally, but I kind of
thought we would. You know what I found amazing that
in the final four we got USA in Canada. And
you know what I found amazing about the Men's that
it was won by France. And all that suggests to
me is that the whole world's evening up.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Yeah, the catching up. It's a global competition now and
so we're seeing that it wasn't just a runaway train.
But the New Zealanders were warmish favorites. But when the
Australians got steamed and the look on their faces when
they got beaten and the bronze medal matches. I mean
you've got a feel for them because it was going
to be Australian and that was apparently the final and

(01:02):
it didn't happen. But you've got to take your hat
off to both the United States and Canada and the
way they played it was. There were a couple of
fantastic matches, but there's just that extra bit of class,
that extra bit of twist and that extra bit of speed.
And you look at Blide and the way she turned
and ran, Wow, stunning and mongrel.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
You know, our team is prepared to go right up
the guts and do it hard, and then suddenly it
also turn on, you know, the superchargers and do the
fancy stuff. They're all round game.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
I felt for Poorsia woman on Cliff when she got
two minutes in the bin for the tackle that caused her.
It was a head clash. I think there's any malice
in that, but I thought, no, not. Don't end your
Olympic and seven's career like that.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
There is is a TikTok video that went round today.
She's Porsial woman being a beast in many different ways,
including one point she charges into a player who tries
to tackle her, so she just picks them up and
keeps running with with the woman under her arms. She
will be a sad loss to our on field game,
but great off.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
Yeah, and a wonderful career. And I remember talking to
a couple of weeks back and said, what are you
going to do next? Because I know I've got my
whole life ahead of me. I'm only young. I don't
know what I'm going to take up next. I'm like,
she's a neat ball. And then she would try sevens
and I think we're all very pleased that you didn't.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
I'm getting messages coming through saying I don't forget Andrew.
The French men's team had the world's greatest player in
Antoine du Pont, and some are saying the greatest of
all time, better than Dan Carter, better than everybody. It
has decided, best at the fifteens and at the sevens,
best in all sorts of positions. Antoine du Pont is
the man.

Speaker 2 (02:32):
Who actually decided that. Because the guy who wrote it
said the debate has ended, I messaged him back on Twitter.
I said it wasn't it where there was a debate
all Is this a debate in your own head? Is it? Yes?

Speaker 1 (02:43):
It is?

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Your good luck with that, mate. Of course it got
printed over here, and there's nothing better than someone suggesting
there's someone else better at Rugby the New Zealand to
trigger all the kiwis.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
So I think he wrote it thinking this is Steve Darcy.
Mm hmm.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
I wish he knew about me. It would be great,
but no, he got put it. Then I don't care.
But you can't. There's no such thing as a goat
unless you're talking about Richie mccaugh.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
Now, yeah, okay, there we go. Okay, we're after to Paris.
Michael Burgers, who's there? The triathem a is going ahead?
It doesn't and I'm sure it doesn't even matter about
the water quality. The water quality is at least that
they worries. Now it's the heat.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Well, at least they're in the water and they won't
get heat stroke for a third of the race, because
I'm presuming that the film across the top of the
scene won't let any of it get in.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
It's hard enough it could actually set fire.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
Why do you found out that they spend two point
four billion New Zealand dollars on cleaning the scene up
because no one could swim it at the last our hundred.

Speaker 1 (03:39):
Year and most of it's on monitoring as well, not
on new pipes. So yeah, okay, so the heat.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
But the water fly has gone down and so it's
no longer over a meter per second, so they can
have it. Apparently they tested this morning at three thirty
in the morning, said it's okay, we're going to go.
So six o'clock the women are off and then the
men are off a few hours later.

Speaker 1 (03:55):
Okay, it will be a great event or where is
the possibility of more disaster and.

Speaker 2 (03:59):
Really white wife fingers crossed? You never know. It's a
bit of controversial Olympic Games to keep us happy. But
I think when it comes to viewing triathon as a
fantastic event to look at. So you say anything about
the French and their Olympics, I think they've covered it
very well when it comes to their their camera work
and the like.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
What do you got tonight?

Speaker 2 (04:18):
We've got Ruby Twoey joining us on the program up
after seven o'clock. Ruby one silver with seven steam back
in Rio and then last time around and took Yo
picked up the gold medal. So she's sitting at home
watching her fellow well beating white Hanna do it again,
so we'll get some thought on her. Yes, she's a
fantastic character, Ruby too great. Thank you for more from

(04:40):
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