Latest news with #PortiaWoodmanWickliffe
ABC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Wallaroos fall to Black Ferns 37-12 in Wellington Test
The Wallaroos have thrown their best shot at the Black Ferns before succumbing 37-12 in a loss compounded by an injury to captain Siokapesi Palu. New Zealand winger Portia Woodman-Wickliffe scored three tries on her 34th birthday, her first after just 50 seconds in an ominous start on Saturday in Wellington. But the visitors fired right back, with Charlotte Caslick scoring from her first touch as the Wallaroos went blow-for-blow in the first 30 minutes. Hard-running flanker Palu was forced off the field after her foot was trapped under a pile of bodies holding up a Black Ferns try, while Caslick was also limping at full-time, having fallen awkwardly in a tackle. The Black Ferns led 10-7 at half-time before hitting top gear. Former sevens star Jorja Miller's sensational solo effort was among the Black Ferns' highlights, as they improved their win-loss record against Australia to a remarkable 29-0 since their first meeting in 1994. It was the Black Ferns' final match on home soil before August's World Cup in England, while the Wallaroos play Wales in Brisbane and Sydney before departing. "It's just building pressure and … that self-belief is what we needed," said Palu, who was wearing a moon boot on her right foot after the match. "Definitely a lot of positives in that first half to show that we can stay in it. "It's just now trying to hold that out for 80 minutes." Seventeen-year-old debutant Waiaria Ellis and fellow winger Desiree Miller were both enterprising, while number 10 Tia Hinds kicked well in tricky conditions. Lydia Kavoa scored the Wallaroos' consolation try in the final moments, some rare joy after they had kept New Zealand's time in their attacking 22 to just five seconds in the first 30 minutes. "We were not clinical enough [in the first half] … credit to Australia, they really tested us," Black Ferns captain Alana Bremner said. AAP
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Wallaroos feel full force of Black Ferns as losing streak stretches to 29 Tests
The Wallaroos threw their best shot at the Black Ferns before succumbing 37-12 in a loss compounded by an injury to captain Siokapesi Palu. New Zealand winger Portia Woodman-Wickliffe scored three tries on her 34th birthday, her first after just 50 seconds in an ominous start on Saturday in Wellington. But the visitors fired right back, Charlotte Caslick scoring with her first touch as the Wallaroos went blow-for-blow in the first 30 minutes. Hard-running flanker Palu limped off after her foot was trapped under a pile of bodies holding up a Black Ferns try, while Caslick was also limping at full-time after falling awkwardly in a tackle. The Black Ferns led 10-7 at half-time, then hit top gear, former sevens star Jorja Miller's sensational solo effort a highlight as they improved their record against Australia to a remarkable 29-0 since their first meeting in 1994. It was the Black Ferns' final game on home soil before August's World Cup, whereas the Wallaroos will play Wales in Brisbane and Sydney before departing. 'It's just building pressure and ... that self-belief is what we needed,' said Palu, who was wearing a moon boot on her right foot post-game. 'Definitely a lot of positives in that first half to show that we can stay in it. It's just now trying to hold that out for 80 minutes.' 17-year-old debutant Waiaria Ellis and fellow winger Desiree Miller were both enterprising, while No 10 Tia Hinds kicked well in tricky Wellington conditions. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion Lydia Kavoa scored the Wallaroos' consolation try in the final moments, some rare joy after they had kept New Zealand's time in their attacking 22 metre zone to just five seconds in the first 30 minutes. 'We were not clinical enough [in the first half] ... credit to Australia they really tested us,' New Zealand captain Alana Bremner said. 'I do [think we're ready for the World Cup]. The internal competition is amazing, it grows and grows and we're pushing.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Palu injury blow as Wallaroos feel Black Ferns' force
The Wallaroos threw their best shot at the Black Ferns before succumbing 37-12 in a loss compounded by an injury to captain Siokapesi Palu. New Zealand winger Portia Woodman-Wickliffe scored three tries on her 34th birthday, her first after just 50 seconds in an ominous start on Saturday in Wellington. But the visitors fired right back, Charlotte Caslick scoring with her first touch as the Wallaroos went blow-for-blow in the first 30 minutes. Hard-running flanker Palu limped off after her foot was trapped under a pile of bodies holding up a Black Ferns try, while Caslick was also limping at fulltime after falling awkwardly in a tackle. The Black Ferns led 10-7 at halftime, then hit top gear, former sevens star Jorja Miller's sensational solo effort a highlight as they improved their record against Australia to a remarkable 29-0 since their first meeting in 1994. It was the Black Ferns' final game on home soil before August's World Cup, whereas the Wallaroos will play Wales in Brisbane and Sydney before departing. "It's just building pressure and ... that self-belief is what we needed," said Palu, who was wearing a moon boot on her right foot post-game. "Definitely a lot of positives in that first half to show that we can stay in it. "It's just now trying to hold that out for 80 minutes." Seventeen-year-old debutant Waiaria Ellis and fellow winger Desiree Miller were both enterprising, while No.10 Tia Hinds kicked well in tricky Wellington conditions. Lydia Kavoa scored the Wallaroos' consolation try in the final moments, some rare joy after they had kept New Zealand's time in their attacking 22 metre zone to just five seconds in the first 30 minutes. "We were not clinical enough (in the first half) ... credit to Australia they really tested us," New Zealand captain Alana Bremner said. "I do (think we're ready for the World Cup). The internal competition is amazing, it grows and grows and we're pushing."
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
New Zealand v Australia: women's rugby union Test
Update: Date: 2025-07-12T04:05:25.000Z Title: Team list: Australia Content: 15. Faitala Moleka 14. Waiaria Ellis 13. Charlotte Caslick 12. Trilleen Pomare 11. Desiree Miller 10. Tia Hinds 9. Layne Morgan 8. Tabua Tuinakauvadra 7. Ashley Marsters 6. Siokapesi Palu (c) 5. Michaela Leonard 4. Kaitlan Leaney 3. Bridie O'Gorman 2. Tania Naden 1. Faliki Pohiva Replacements: Adiana Talakai, Lydia Kavoa, Eva Karpani, Annabelle Codey, Piper Duck, Emily Chancellor, Samantha Wood, Cecilia Smith Update: Date: 2025-07-12T04:00:02.000Z Title: Preamble Content: Hello and welcome to what is shaping up to be an exciting afternoon of rugby action! The Wallaroos are taking on the Black Ferns in windy Wellington, with the aim of causing an upset and taking their first ever win against their neighbours across the ditch. It's a huge ask – the teams last met in Newcastle in May as part of the Pacific Four series, where the Ferns claimed a 38-12 win. The Wallaroos have been an improved side in recent times, pulling off a 27-19 win over the USA during that same series, and with the addition of sevens star Charlotte Caslick into the mix this year, they have shown plenty of spark. However the Black Ferns are an incredibly formidable team, not least because they feature Portia Woodman-Wickliffe – New Zealand's leading women's fifteen-a-side try scorer of all time. With a World Cup on the horizon, this is important preparation for both teams, and though the Black Ferns are heavily favoured, the Wallaroos will be throwing everything at this match to try to pull off an unlikely win. Kick off is at 4:30pm local time (2:30pm AEST), so let's get into it!
RNZ News
05-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- RNZ News
Sevens star Michaela Brake braces for NRLW impact with Warriors women
Michaela Brake became the top tryscorer on the World Rugby sevens circuit in February. Photo: PhotoSport NZ Barely a week into her rugby league career, sevens superstar Michaela Brake experienced her 'Welcome to the Warriors' moment. Just months after becoming the most prolific tryscorer on the World Rugby circuit, passing former Black Ferns ally Portia Woodman-Wickliffe at Vancouver in February, the two-time Olympic champion is preparing for perhaps her biggest challenge, when NZ Warriors return to the NRLW competition , after a three-year absence. Sevens exponents are renowned for their fitness levels, but nothing could have prepared the pint-sized speedster, at 1.65m (5ft 5in) and 65kg, for the pounding she has already received at the hands of her new teammates. "If you watched our training on Saturday, holy, it got to the point where I was crying, because I was so exhausted, so taken aback by the physicality of the training," Brake (formerly Michaela Blyde) said. "You've really got to mentally get up for these kind of trainings, because it's very, very different. It's safely controlled, but you've got to seriously be tough, with the different dynamics of the contact area, how you used your body smartly to try to be the winner in the contact area. "I'm learning a lot about that the hard way, which is great. Just chuck me in the deep end with no floaties, and we'll see if I sink or swim. "It's a challenge I'm having to adapt to very quickly." Sevens-to-league converts aren't exactly rare, especially in the women's game, where several others have successfully transitioned previously. Two years ago, Tyla King (formerly Nathan-Wong) starred for the Kiwi Ferns in a rare test victory over Australia Jillaroos and, days later, was named World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year. Last year, Stacey Waaka set the NRLW alight early, scoring six tries in her first six outings, before fracturing a fibula in her right leg. Her performance was still good enough to earn Dally M Winger of the Year honours in her debut season. Most of those who have gone before Brake, 29, have at least some 15s background to draw on, when it comes to confronting much bigger players at close quarters. Waaka was a member of the NZ team that won the last Rugby World Cup and has chosen that pathway again this season. "I definitely need to work on my toughness in contact." Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Brake's previous attempts at the expanded format have usually ended badly, once at the hands of new flatmate and former Black Ferns Sevens teammate Shakira Baker. "I played three games for Bay of Plenty Volcanix in 2016, after not making the Rio Olympics, and we played against Wellington, who Shakira was playing for. "I decided to run it straight at her and she gave me a haematoma." More recently, another stint with the Bay team ended with a broken jaw, trying to tackle a prop in pre-season training. If nothing else, these failed forays into provincial rugby have sharpened her survival instincts in rugby league. "I definitely need to work on my toughness in contact," she admitted. "It's very different." "Obviously, in sevens and union in general, there are strict rules about where you can tackle, but in league, you can kind of bend those rules a little. I'm just trying to find the balance of where I can use my strength with my upper body in league, without getting bunted off by girls that are far bigger than myself. "Of course, my speed is not going to hide. As soon as I catch the ball, I'm just going to run hard into space and hopefully that will work out well for me in the Warriors jersey." On the other hand, Baker has an extensive pedigree in both forms of rugby union, with 13 tests for the Black Ferns - including the 2014 World Cup - and sevens gold at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. In 15s, she is a hard-hitting midfielder, but at the Warriors, she may find herself among the forwards. Brake and Baker represent intriguing projects for new Warriors coach Ron Griffiths, who has already won two NRLW crowns with Newcastle Knights. Most of his squad have never played in the competition before - many have been plucked from domestic competition - so he has his work cut out moulding them into championship contenders in his first campaign. Teaching his rugby converts the finer points of the code will be key to his success. "We're probably a week-and-a-half in with Michaela and I think determination to succeed is probably what rings true the most," Griffiths said. "She came, as a fulltime professional athlete, into a semi-professional environment and the first day, she asked questions. "That's important - it showed everyone she wanted to invest and needed to understand what the game was about. It let people know that, if you don't know, it's ok to ask questions." Brake will probably start out on the wing, which seems a safe place to learn the positional intricacies of the game, before testing the waters at fullback or centre. Despite her abundance of sevens success, she is not putting pressure on herself to excel immediately in her new environment. "I'm not coming in here with the mindset of wanting to win all the time, because I'm so new to this game," she said. "I'm just taking it day by day, learning as much as I possibly can without putting too much pressure on myself to being the best. "I'm very fortunate to be surrounded by players who have played Kiwi Ferns and NRLW for a while now, so learning off them has been very valuable. "Also remembering I'm one of the older girls in the squad, so another purpose is to encourage these young girls to make the most of this opportunity. A lot of them have never signed a piece of paper before, so this is their first opportunity to really stamp their mark on NRLW. "I'm hoping I can help them make the most of it by being professional, making the most of the resources we have here, so for their long-term career, they're locked in for a long time with the Warriors and can play fulltime professional league for as long as they can." Brake considered following several of her sevens teammates into the 15s programme, but decided the league option fitted better into her lifestyle. "It was the perfect opportunity for me to leave the sevens nest and really test myself as a footy player," she said. "The main attraction was that I'm essentially home for a lot of it. "It was a matter of weighing up what was best for me and my career and my family, and being part of the Warriors ended up being the winning opportunity for me." Brake said the game has grown over the past few years and the fan engagement is "insane". "What the Warriors have here at Go Media Stadium is second to none, when it comes to a crowd and atmosphere here in New Zealand. I wanted to be a part of that energy with the Wahine Warriors." The Warriors women kick off their NRLW season against defending champions Sydney Roosters on 6 July across the Tasman, with their first home game against Parramatta Eels a week later. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
