In the midst of all the celebrations after the Black Ferns’ stunning World Cup victory, there was also a pertinent warning about the less-glamourous side of rugby.
Black Ferns star Portia Woodman has revealed she is unable to remember anything from her side’s 34-31 win over England at Eden Park,with the winger being forced off the field in the 18th minute after a sickening head clash.
Until that point, Woodman had been the most dangerous player. The left wing racked up 75 metres while beating five defenders, showing why she was the top tryscorer in the World Cup for the second tournament in a row.
However, on one dash to the line Woodman was knocked out of the match by an ugly head clash with Lydia Thompson - for which the English wing received a red card.
Portia Woodman leaves the field after her head clash. Photo / photosport.nz
After several minutes prone on the sideline, Woodman was taken from the field in a cart, having failed her head injury assessment, and she revealed on Instagram this morning she couldn’t remember the match.
“Although I don’t remember the game, I know I have a gold medal because we won,” Woodman posted with a picture of her medal.
“So proud of our girls, the 32 here and the 244 that helped us get to this point!”
Woodman’s head injury, as well as that of England’s world player of the year Zoe Aldcroft, who also had to leave the field in the first half, was a reminder that although the sport can excite and inspire generations of New Zealanders, there also needs to be awareness for young players about the dangers that come along with playing a physical game.
The 31-year-old was up on her feet in time to take part in the celebrations, though Black Ferns head coach Wayne Smith warned she would need time to recover.
“Last time I saw Portia, she was jumping all over me,” the coach said. “But I don’t want to trivialise that because she wasn’t great. She didn’t pass her HIA; I don’t know if she’ll remember much of the game.
“She was playing so well, too. It was really disappointing. She’ll recover but she’s not a hundy at the moment.”
Image 1 of 16: Liana Mikaele-Tu'u gets a selfie with a fan
Woodman was clearly doing better the following day though, joining her teammates for their celebration in downtown Auckland and signing plenty of autographs for her fans.
