'I'm extremely confident': Black Ferns talk changing of the guard

The Black Ferns will farewell one of, if not the greatest, players in the game next weekend. And while a bronze medal match is not how Portia Woodman-Wickliffe would have wanted to bow out, there is immense confidence in the next generation coming through the ranks.

The Black Ferns and Black Ferns Sevens icon holds too many records to count, and came out of international retirement specifically for the 2025 Rugby World Cup, with the enjoyment of her Super Rugby Aupiki season with the Blues inspiring a postponement of her plans to start a family.

As one would expect, she swiftly made the black No.11 jersey her own once again and was in damaging form as the Kiwis dominated their opening four games of the tournament.

But with the Black Ferns bowing out of title contention at the hands of a ruthless Canadian team in Friday’s semi-final, the 34-year-old’s final chapter in black can now only hope to bring home bronze.

“Our senior players have done so much for us, in terms of where we’ve come from,” Black Ferns co-captain Kennedy Tukuafu told reporters after the game. “Portia’s an amazing person; she’s an absolute professional on the field, but she can also be silly and goofy off the field, and she really brings this group up.

“We also celebrated two milestones, Ruahei (Demant) playing her 50th game, the third woman to reach that milestone, and Ayesha (Leti-I’iga), who’s been a light in our team for a long time, playing her 30th.

“So, it’s disappointing. We wanted to end maybe her (Portia’s) last game on top, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. She contributes to this team like no one else, and whatever she does next, she’s going to be the light in the next team, or the next thing she does.”

The breakout success of Woodman-Wickliffe’s wing partner, 18-year-old phenom Braxton Sorensen-McGee, is sure to bring Kiwi fans some joy as the farewell a legend of the game.

“I’m extremely confident in the likes of Jorja (Miller), Braxton, Chryss Viliko, all of those young girls, and leaving this team in their capable hands. We’d love to see more development in the amount of games that we play, but they’re amazing. Look what they could do with only the amount of games that we had this year. I’m excited to see what they can do for this team.”

That sentiment was echoed by Black Ferns head coach Allan Bunting, who expressed his pride in the team environment and how it can set young players up for success.

“It’s an absolute joy to work with these ladies,” he said. “Just the authenticity. We’ve got a pretty cool environment, there’s lots of love in there, and being able to be yourself and really enjoy the journey is really important. There’s always times like this when it’s tough, but for the next generation to be able to see what it is to be a Black Fern, what we want to see is to get some more ladies on, to buy some boots and play some more rugby.”