Portia & Renee Woodman-Wickliffe Head To Japan’s Mie PEARLS In 2024

Recently retired from international rugby for the Black Ferns, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe has signed on to play rugby in Japan for Mie PEARLS, while her partner Renee will take on the Assistant coaching role at the club.

Feature Photo – Renee (left) and Portia (right) Woodman-Wickliffe

Renee is also a highly decorated former player who represented her country in the XVs format from 2009-2022 playing in three Rugby World Cups (and winning 3x RWC). She also played Sevens over that period and was involved in two Sevens Rugby World Cups. She previously was an assistant coach at the Bay of Plenty Volcanix in the 2023 Farah Palmer Cup in NZ.

Portia hung up her boots after winning her second Olympic gold medal at the Paris 2024 Sevens to accompany one of the most decorated rugby CVs in history, and many would rank her among the best to have played the game. She won two XVs World Cups, holds the record for the most tries scored in a Black Ferns test match and the most tries full stop for NZ. She holds the individual try-scoring record for Rugby World Cups with 20 tries and has more than 250 tries in Sevens to name but a few.

The family will travel to Japan in October 2024 with their daughter Kaia, as the new 15s season runs from November 2024 until February 2025.

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe told newsroom.co.nz of the move, “Ultimately, I want to have babies by the end of next year. But retiring from New Zealand Rugby after the Olympics has given me opportunities to try new things. And at the top of my list was Japan. There were opportunities to go to different places. But I want to enjoy being at home for now, then go to Japan and explore all the opportunities that go with that.”

Some of the options the legendary player was linked with included the USA, which already has the pro Premier Rugby Sevens and a new XV pro Women’s Elite Rugby season due to start, as well as Australia’s NRLW league competition which have seen several Australian and NZ 7s women join after the Olympics.

She also said she was keen to return to netball and touch rugby – her All Black father, Kawhena Woodman, famously said she could not play league. He himself played social rugby until he was 55 years old.

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Why Japan For The Woodman-Wickliffe’s?

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (right) joins Mie PEARLS 2024 and Head Coach Janna Vaughan (left)

Portia said of the move to Japan, “Leading up to the Tokyo Olympics, the Black Ferns Sevens went to Japan every year for five years and I loved it; the people and the culture. To give Kaia this experience, to take Renee to Japan for the first time, it’s a win-win situation. Doing it all together is the best thing.”

Portia posted on her own social media, “I’m so excited to be joining Mie PEARLS to play in the Kansai Regional and National fifteens tournament, alongside Renee who’s joining the club as Assistant Coach.

Sarah Hirini, the NZ Sevens captain who led the side to gold in Paris after a miraculous injury recovery, has also previously played at Mie PEARLS. Triple New Zealand international (Black Fern, Kiwi Fern and kickboxer) Janna Vaughan is the head coach of the PEARLS.

Renee said of the move, “I’ve played alongside Japanese girls and I’ve coached a few in the Bay of Plenty Volcanix. They’re beautiful people, really respectful, and they listened to everything I said.”

Portia also played with Vaughan in the past and said, “With Janna Vaughan at the helm of the coaching staff, I lived with her – in Kelly Brazier’s ‘halfway house’ for sevens players – and I played alongside her for a while, so I’m really looking forward to working with her too.”

Kelly Brazier and her wife Talia and two sons previously also were in Japan where she coached the Brave Louve sevens side in 2023.

Mie PEARLS Coach, Vaughan said of the pair arriving, “Her [Portia] experience within the game will be a huge asset to the team and the wider PEARLS club. But more than this, I know she’s a great person with a huge heart and a valued teammate – who I’m just pleased I don’t need to tackle ever again.

Having Renee sign with us as an assistant coach is the icing on the cake. Her wealth of knowledge and rugby IQ is invaluable and she will play a pivotal part for our campaign and winning the national title this season. Her ability to connect players and bring positive connections and culture to our environment is also significant.”

Mie PEARLS

Mie PEARLS general manager, Hisashi Saito, added, “PEARLS motto is ‘From our home city Yokkaichi to the world’ and in order to raise the team to a more global level and for the development of women’s rugby in Japan, we’ve been aiming to acquire the world’s top players. It’s a great honour to have world-class individuals like Portia and Renee join the team.”

The Japanese club signed an MoU with Chiefs Manawa (NZ) in 2024 which allows both clubs to “explore opportunities that enhance the game for players, coaches and management through the sharing of knowledge and resources.”

Mie Pearls lost to rivals Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix in 2023–2024 National Women’s Rugby Championship final 40-24.

Their current squad is predominantly Japanese but there are NZ, Kenyan and a Canadian player listed and they are due to compete in the Kansai regional 15s tournament before playing in the national Japanese championship.

Japanese Rugby News 2024

• Number Of Japan Tours Confirmed By Australian Rugby Clubs.
• Japanese Sakura XV Players Playing Overseas In 2024.
• JRFU Fixtures 2024 – Brave Blossoms, Japan XV, Sakura XV.
• Yuka Kanematsu Appointed Sakura Sevens Head Coach.