(CNN) New Zealand rugby star Portia Woodman is the first woman to be ranked inside the top 10 in a list of the sport's 50 most influential figures compiled by Rugby World magazine.
Woodman, who was part of the Black Ferns side that won gold at the Commonwealth Games and lifted the Rugby World Cup Sevens trophy earlier this season, is ninth in the biennial rankings, two spots below All Blacks coach Steve Hansen and higher than any other Kiwi player -- male or female.
The winger has twice picked up World Rugby Player of the Year awards and in the fifteen-a-side format helped New Zealand lift the World Cup in 2017. She top-scored on the sevens circuit this season with 43 tries.
"Ours is an ever-changing game and with the men's Rugby World Cup in Japan in 2019 looming large and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo hot on its heels, now is the perfect time to discuss how rugby is shaped," says Alan Dymock, a Rugby World editor and CNN contributor.
"Portia Woodman's place in the top 10 is owed not only to her sustained excellence on the field ... but also due to her willingness to speak out publicly for the women's game, challenging authorities on behalf of her fellow players."
Rugby sevens round the world
Over 100,000 fans attended the Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco.
The World Rugby Sevens Series will have another round for the women's competition in 2019 -- in Glendale, Colorado.
The men's series kicks off at the end of November in Dubai.
The next stop is Cape Town. South Africa is the defending champion after pipping Fiji for the title in the 10-round series.
The event then moves to Hamilton in New Zealand.
Australia is the defending women's champion.
The Las Vegas and Hong Kong legs are the only three-day events.
In May, the women's tour arrives in Langford, Canada.
The Hong Kong sevens has established a reputation for its vibrant fan atmosphere.
Singapore's National Stadium has a 55,000 capacity.
The 2019 series also welcomes Japan, who secured a place by winning the Hong Kong qualifier in April.
The penultimate destination is Twickenham in London.
The series comes to a close for both men and women in Paris, France.
READ: Black Ferns beat France to win women's Rugby World Cup
Changing game
On and off the field, it's been a year of change for women's rugby, spearheaded by the first sevens competition taking place at the Commonwealth Games.
In March, it was announced that Black Ferns players would be receiving their first ever professional contracts, with at least 30 women earning up to $32,000 in what was termed a "significant milestone" for the game.
Meanwhile, Raelene Castle -- 26th on Rugby World's list -- became the first ever woman to head up a national governing body when she was appointed boss of Rugby Australia last year.
The list is compiled after consultation with players, coaches, administrators and members of the media from around the globe.
Rugby Sevens 2017-18
Victory for South Africa and a fifth-place finish for Fiji saw the Blitzboks take the 2017-18 Sevens World Series title by just two points.
A runner-up finish for Australia in Paris was enough to secure the overall women's title ahead of rivals New Zealand.
Portia Woodman bagged two tries in the Paris final, which ended 33-7 in favor of the Black Ferns. Despite three tournament wins, however, they couldn't defend their championship title.
Fiji's Josua Tuisova looks for an offload in the final of the London Sevens against South Africa. His side ran out
21-17 victors to take control of the series.
New Zealand's Black Ferns inflicted the heaviest ever series defeat on Australia in the final of the Canada Sevens, scoring eight tries in a 46-0 demolition of their rivals.
Fiji moved to the top of the standings with a tense victory over Australia in
Singapore.
New Zealand's Black Ferns backed up
Commonwealth gold with silverware in Japan after a 24-12 victory over France in final.
Japan gained a berth in next year's Sevens World Series with a 19-14 victory over Germany in the qualifier event.
Fiji fans celebrate in
Vancouver where their country secured its second win of the Sevens World Series.
Kenya was the tournament's surprise package. Playing in its first final since Singapore in 2016, Shujaa eventually went down 31-12 to Fiji.
There was an historic result in
Vegas as the Eagles lifted the trophy for the first time on home soil with a 28-0 victory over Argentina in the final. It was just the second title USA have won, the first coming in London in 2015.
Fiji overturned a first-half deficit against South Africa to
claim a first title of the season in Hamilton -- the first time the town has hosted a Sevens World Series tournament after the New Zealand leg was moved from Wellington.
Australia's women continued their storming start to the season
in Sydney. Tim Walsh's side became the first team ever to go a whole tournament without conceding a point.
There was more good news to come for home fans that weekend in Sydney. The men
eased past South Africa 29-0 in the final, with Ben O'Donnell (pictured) grabbing a brace.
The All Blacks claimed a first tournament victory since March 2016 in Cape Town,
toppling Argentina in the final.
Having finished second to New Zealand in last season's overall standings, Australia's women got their campaign off to winning ways by
overwhelming USA 34-0 in the opening tournament in Dubai.
Last year's world champion South Africa started this season as they ended the last. The Blitzboks
saw off New Zealand 24-12 in the UAE to win the first piece of silverware up for grabs in the men's competition.
READ: New Zealand wins first women's rugby sevens at Commonwealth Games
Topping the rankings for the second time running is World Rugby vice-chairman and former Argentina captain Agustin Pichot.
Behind Pichot are recently-installed South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus, who oversaw his side's 2-1 series victory over England, and billionaire businessman Mohed Altrad, who owns French side Montpellier.
Other notable inclusions at the top end are Ireland coach Joe Schmidt, who rises 19 places to fifth after leading the nation to a Six Nations grand slam and its first ever series victory in Australia, and his side's playmaker Johnny Sexton at eighth.
Siya Kolisi, South Africa's first ever black rugby captain, is sixth, while Doddie Weir, the former Scotland lock battling motor neurone disease, is 10th.
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England head coach Eddie Jones slips 17 places from 2nd in 2016 after his side suffered a run of five-straight defeats. Owen Farrell is the only English player in the top 50 at 28th.