New Zealander · Rotorua, New Zealand · Born 12 June 1991Portia Woodman-Wickliffe is a prolific Black Ferns winger who became New Zealand rugby's all-time leading Test try scorer across both genders.
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe ONZM was born on 12 July 1991 in Kawakawa, New Zealand, into rugby royalty — her father Kawhena and uncle Fred both represented the All Blacks, while her aunt Te Aroha played for the Silver Ferns netball team. As a child, she dreamed of becoming an Olympic sprinter, and idolised All Black great Jonah Lomu, hoping to "be like him on the wing." Woodman pursued netball first, coming close to representing the Silver Ferns, before switching to rugby sevens at 21. Within five tournaments, she was the top scorer at the 2013 Sevens World Cup, and she made her Black Ferns fifteens debut that same year at Eden Park, scoring a try in the 1,000th Test match in the history of women's rugby. Woodman won an Olympic silver medal in sevens at the 2016 Rio Games, before gold medals at both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics, and became the first woman to score 200 tries in the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series in 2022. She helped New Zealand win multiple Women's Rugby World Cup titles in the fifteens format. Woodman retired from international sevens after the 2024 Paris Olympics, and was named in the Black Ferns squad for the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup in England, becoming the Black Ferns' all-time leading try scorer across a career that fulfilled the Olympic ambitions she once dreamed of as a young sprinter.
New Zealand's all-time leading Test try scorer (men's or women's)
How They Played
Woodman is renowned for her exceptional pace and acceleration, making her devastating on the wing in both sevens and fifteens formats. Her finishing ability in the corner and capacity to beat defenders in tight spaces made her one of the most clinical try-scorers in women's rugby. She combined raw speed with good rugby intelligence and positioning to exploit gaps in opposition defenses.
Lasting Impact
Woodman helped elevate the profile of women's rugby sevens globally and was instrumental in New Zealand's dominance of the format during her career.
Career Honours
- Rugby World Cup winner 2021/22 & 2025
- Olympic gold medal Rio 2016 (sevens)
| Club | Period | Apps |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland | — | — |
| Northland | — | — |
 New Zealand | — | 50 |
New Zealander Athletes