Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Areas of patchy fog. Low 52F. Winds light and variable..
Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Areas of patchy fog. Low 52F. Winds light and variable.
Updated: February 25, 2026 @ 11:15 pm
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand women's rugby star Portia Woodman-Wickliffe is retiring for a second time at the age of 34.
The two-time World Women's Player of the Year who won gold medals in rugby sevens at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics announced her decision Thursday.
Woodman-Wickliffe came out of a short retirement to play for New Zealand's Black Ferns at the Women's World Cup in Britain last year.
“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to represent my country, my iwi (tribe), my hapū and my whānau (family) one last time on the World Cup stage, a moment I will cherish forever," she said in a statement. “As I step into this next chapter of my life, I feel both excited and a little nervous, but I’m ready.”
Woodman-Wickliffe excelled at track and netball before switching to rugby in 2012, competing at Rio de Janeiro in 2016 when rugby sevens became an Olympic sport for the first time. New Zealand won the silver medal that year.
Her father and uncle both were All Blacks.
She played 241 times for New Zealand on the World Sevens Series, scoring 256 tries and in 2020 was named the women's sevens player of the previous decade.
Woodman-Wickliffe was also a member of New Zealand teams which won the Rugby World Cup in 2017 and 2022.
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Poetry Without Borders 2026 is an annual poetry contest for youth of all ages. It is being j… Read morePoetry Without Borders 2026
“Powerful, moving, and exhilarating” Read moreSongs For A New World
Exclusive film screening in San Mateo Read moreA LITTLE FELLOW: THE LEGACY OF A.P.GIANNINI
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Yes Mike, Linda is in on the dumbing of America.
CA Is Burning said:
Mike Caggiano said:
Absolutely terrific letter Lara. Keep 'em coming.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.