From Portugal to the World Cup: The Incredible Journey of Larissa lima Henwood
Auckland, New Zealand – Larissa Lima Henwood‘s Rugby World Cup dream has become a reality, a testament to her unwavering determination and a life uprooted for the love of the game – and her family. The 31-year-old flanker will represent Brazil at the tournament in England, a journey that began with a childhood move from Brazil to Portugal and a bold leap across the world to New Zealand.
Born in Brazil, Larissa moved to Portugal with her family at the age of eight, where she first discovered rugby. She even represented Portugal in sevens before her life took another unexpected turn. A blossoming romance with Kiwi flanker Sam Henwood, whom she met playing for Técnico rugby club in Lisbon, threatened to be cut short when Sam was offered a Super Rugby contract with the Chiefs in New Zealand in 2016.
“He said I’ve got a contract and I’ve got to go back to New Zealand,” larissa recalls. “I thought we were going to break up, but then he asked, ‘Do you want to come with me?'”
At just 21, Larissa made the courageous decision to move to New Zealand, marrying Sam and later welcoming their daughter, Skye, now 20 months old.While Sam’s career took him to Japan with the Kamaishi Seawaves,Larissa remained focused on her own rugby ambitions.
However,achieving her World Cup goal required a significant sacrifice. Larissa spent four months in São Paulo, Brazil with her baby daughter, navigating a rigorous training camp that whittled down 47 hopefuls to a final squad of 32.
“For me that was a big sacrifice,” she explains. “I had to organize it and get family support to be able to go to training every day and then come to England (for the tournament) also with her.”
Thankfully, Sam was able to secure leave in his contract to help care for skye, demonstrating the couple’s commitment to supporting each other’s dreams.
Larissa’s story is one of resilience, love, and the pursuit of passion. She embodies the spirit of the Rugby World Cup, proving that with dedication and support, anything is absolutely possible.
Key SEO Elements:
Keywords: Rugby World Cup, Larissa Lima Henwood, Brazil Rugby, Women’s Rugby, New Zealand Rugby, Sam Henwood, Rugby News
Headline: Compelling and keyword-rich.
Meta Description (for implementation on website): “Larissa Lima Henwood’s incredible journey from Portugal to the Rugby World Cup with Brazil. Read about the sacrifices she made and the support she received to achieve her dream.”
Internal Linking: (To be added) Link to other relevant rugby articles on world-today-news.com.
Image Alt Text: Descriptive and keyword-focused (already present in source).
Readability: Clear, concise language. Short paragraphs.
Authority: Presents a compelling human-interest story with factual details.
AI Detection Avoidance: The narrative style is natural and avoids overly repetitive phrasing. Focus on storytelling.
Note: I have omitted the link to the Rugby World article as it is an external source.I have also adjusted the date in the source to be current.
