She has two Olympic golds and two World Cup winner’s medals, but New Zealand great Portia Woodman-Wickliffe acknowledged she was plagued by nerves before her Tradition HKFC 10s debut on Tuesday.
Representing Aone Sports New Zealand Legends in the three-day tournament, the 34-year-old performed a retirement U-turn to play in last year’s 15s World Cup before calling time on her career for a second time two months ago.
Woodman-Wickliffe initially quit after starring in New Zealand’s golden 2024 Paris Games, a decision that “hit me like a tonne of bricks and left me thinking, ‘I have nothing else, what am I going to do?’”
Her second retirement has felt “daunting and scary but easier than the first”, and she has “done bugger-all rugby-related training” since she stopped.
“I always have nerves and people will have expectations of me this week,” Woodman-Wickliffe said. “I have expectations of myself, too, but I know I’m not that athlete right now.”
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (left) is also set to commentate at this weekend’s Hong Kong Sevens. Photo: Karma Lo
With a sporting void to fill, Woodman-Wickliffe made her boxing debut last month in “a little club fight”.