'Scary' England excites Portia Woodman-Wickliffe as World Cup beckons

Black Ferns legend Portia Woodman-Wickliffe says the challenge of winning back to back World Cups when the women's game is more competitive than ever, helped lure her out of retirement.

The Black Ferns World Cup campaign has received a major boost, with Woodman-Wickliffe signing an eight-month contract with New Zealand Rugby.

Woodman-Wickliffe announced her international retirement in July last year, after winning her second Olympic gold medal with the Black Ferns Sevens in Paris.

Her achievements include winning two Rugby World Cups (2017 and 2022), two sevens Rugby World Cups (2013 and 2018) and winning Olympic and Commonwealth golds. She holds the record for top try-scorer in Rugby World Cup history.

The defending champions build-up to the World Cup, which starts in England in August, has been less than ideal with the Black Ferns suffering a number of losses in 2024.

World number one England are on a 24-game winning streak but Woodman-Wickliffe said that's what excited her.

"England has always been an amazing rugby team ...and throughout the year's it's always been a Black Ferns, England competition. And now with the likes of France, Canada, and Ireland, it's so widespread now," Woodman-Wickliffe said.

"I'm really excited to have a crack ...we've seen a lot of talk about them, we see their girls just thriving in all their competitions, their European comp and now their six Nations so it is really exciting.

"It is scary, they've been on a winning streak, their players have been around, they are fully professional, they are playing some amazing rugby but I like a challenge and I think a lot of the girls in our environment like that challenge as well.

"We're not going to give up, we're not going to bow down to anyone, we're going to give it our best crack."

The 33-year-old said coming to realisation that she wanted to come out of retirement for a third World Cup was a gradual thing.

She said representing the Blues, who recently became back to back Super Rugby Aupiki champions, reminded her how much she loved the game.

"I was sitting at 50/50 for a long time knowing what the commitment needs ... it kind of got to the point where I could see myself doing really well."

She said playing a new position gave her a new lease on life.

"I've got a lot more to give and a lot more to learn and I think what really helped was just playing centre, it's such a new position for me that I've just loved learning a lot so it's been a gradual build to this point."

Woodman-Wickliffe said she was excited to be in the environment again.

"I missed that a little bit ... what I'm ultimately excited about it to be around professionals again ... learning from some of the best players in the world and just being able to play rugby, I still love the game."

So, does Black Ferns Director of Performance Allan Bunting want to see her play at centre?

"In my earlier conversations with Bunts he did say that I was playing quite well at centre and he's quite enjoyed seeing me there ... but also said that wing is also a position I could lean into as well."

Woodman-Wickliffe also said she was thriving around the new wave of talent coming through, such as Blues youngster Braxton Sorensen-McGee.

"I'm grateful that I get to learn from them because the confidence that they have and it's not arrogance, it is the pure confidence and their abilities their skill set and their knowledge of the game, but they are also very coachable."

Woodman-Wickliffe was also recognised by World Rugby as Sevens Player of the Year in 2015, Women's Player of the Year (XVs) in 2017 and in 2020, was named the top women's sevens player of the decade.

Black Ferns Director of Performance Allan Bunting said that he first messaged Woodman-Wickliffe last year about coming back.

"I could see her smile when she was playing through the season [for the Blues], and then I think it was week two or week three, I just went in and checked with her and said how are you going, and I told her the door's always open," Bunting said.

He is thrilled to have her experience and believes it will add an extra edge to the Black Ferns environment.

"She's an extremely awesome human being and to have some younger ladies around [in the Black Ferns squad] she's really going to help the group, no matter whether she's off or on the field. She's just extremely selfless, almost to a point where she sacrifices her own needs for others."

Woodman-Wickliffe had intended to make her league debut in the NRLW this year with the Newcastle Knights, but the deal fell through due to an ambassador role at the World Cup.

The NRL had concerns about a player promoting a rival code.

Woodman-Wickliffe said the whole process was a bit of a rigmarole but said she had not shut the door completely on giving league another crack in the future.

She is set to join the Black Ferns in their first assembly this weekend.