Portia Woodman and Renee Wickliffe. Photo / Norrrie Montgomery
Portia Woodman and Renee Wickliffe. Photo / Norrrie Montgomery
Two Black Ferns superstars have tied the knot following a difficult but triumphant year with injuries besetting both players before their team’s monumental World Cup win.
Portia Woodman and Renee Wickliffe, who have been together since 2013, shared photographs of themselves on social media celebrating their wedding.
The newlyweds received congratulations from fans, with some admirers voicing their light-hearted devastation the sportswomen were no longer single.
Three-time World Cup winner Wickliffe had knee surgery, torn ankle ligaments and a reconstruction that went awry when a screw snapped. She still had painful metal fragments left in her ankle, according to women’s sport news site LockerRoom.
World champion Black Ferns Renee Wickliffe (top right), Portia Woodman and Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu celebrate their team's title. Photo / Debbie Beadle
Olympic sevens champion and try-scoring phenomenon Woodman tore her Achilles four years ago, quickly followed by a hamstring injury, which altogether kept her sidelined for two years.
They helped each other through some dark times. Times when Wickliffe — a World Cup winner in 2010 and 2017 — really wanted just to give up rugby.
“I’ve had to push through the pain; it’s taken a lot of perseverance and resilience, I guess,” the 35-year-old told LockerRoom.
After the couple were back on their feet they discussed the possibility of them playing together.
“We talked about it earlier in the year — how cool it would be to play alongside each other in a World Cup here at home,” utility-back Wickliffe told LockerRoom. “I don’t know how we manifested it, but here we are now. It’s very special.”
Black Ferns wingers and newlyweds Portia Woodman, left, and Renee Wickliffe. Photo / Photosport
Wickliffe told LockerRoom she was “overwhelmed” when she heard the news she would be playing for the Black Ferns for her fourth World Cup this year. She was relieved to get a call from Woodman confirming she had also made the side.
“I’m glad she rang me straight away, because if I’d only found out at the announcement, that would have been awkward,” Wickliffe told LockerRoom.
“I wouldn’t have known what to do with myself. So I had time to prepare.”
She learned she was in the team just as she was about to board a flight home from Cape Town, having just won silver at the sevens world championships.
Woodman was one of five recent sevens stars to make this year’s team.
