Birmingham Commonwealth Games: Portia Woodman (Sevens)

  • 01/01/2022

Portia Woodman

Age: 30

Born: July 12, 1991 at Auckland

Height: 1.70m

Event: Rugby Sevens

Coach: Cory Sweeney

Previous Commonwealth Games: Gold Coast 2018 (gold)

Woodman has become a global sevens superstar, since switching from netball through a crosscode recruitment drive by NZ Rugby 10 years ago.

Both father Kawhena Woodman and uncle Fred Woodman were All Blacks.

She made her Black Ferns 15s debut against England in 2013 and was named 2015 World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the Year.

Kelly Brazier, Sarah Hirini and Portia Woodman celebrate Olympic gold at Tokyo
Kelly Brazier, Sarah Hirini and Portia Woodman celebrate Olympic gold at Tokyo. Photo credit: Getty

Woodman was top tryscorer at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where New Zealand were beaten by Australia in the women's final, and also the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup, where the Black Ferns emerged triumphant.

This year, she became the first woman to score 200 tries on the World Rugby sevens circuit.