Folau on who is to blame for his Rugby Australia sacking
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Israel Folau has claimed that media spin was largely responsible for his 2019 dismissal by Rugby Australia (RA).
The 35-year-old former Wallabies fullback was a key player for the Wallabies when RA terminated his contract following controversial social media posts.
In 2019, Folau posted on Instagram that “hell awaits drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolators.” This post followed a 2018 incident where he stated that homosexuals would go to hell unless they repented, sparking widespread backlash.
Folau’s comments and subsequent dismissal effectively ended his career at the top level of rugby, although he has recently returned to Test rugby with Tonga.
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Before his sacking, Folau had featured in 73 Tests for Australia and was signed with the Waratahs for another three years in a deal that would have run until 2022.
Joining former New Zealand rugby league international Isaac John on the Ebbs and Flows podcast, Folay revealed that his intentions were misrepresented, attributing his downfall to how the media portrayed his views.
“When I put up the post, I never thought that I’d get terminated for it. It just never crossed my mind,” Folau told the Ebbs and Flows rugby league podcast this weekend.
“A lot of people misunderstood the actual post and the media played a huge part in taking it and spinning that one word.
“If you know me personally, you’d know the intention behind the post. But the media played a huge part in taking it and spinning it the way they wanted to.
“I think that built all that pressure and momentum which went that way and ended up with me getting terminated.”
After his contract was terminated by RA, he went on to have another stint in rugby league before returning to rugby union with Japan’s Urayasu D-Rocks.
The outside back missed the World Cup with Tonga last year due to injury.
Since Folau’s Wallabies exit, the national have experienced a downward spiral and now languish in ninth place in the World Rugby rankings.
While Folau has not reached the giddy heights he experienced at his peak of becoming Super Rugby’s top try-scorer (a record since broken) or being the Wallabies’ talisman, he still helped Urayasu D-Rocks earn promotion to Japan Rugby League One Division 1 this year.
“If I got given the opportunity to go into that changing room and put on the gold jersey again tomorrow, I think I’d fit straight in,” Folau said when asked if he believes he could walk back into the Wallabies and make an impact.
“I’m not being arrogant or anything, it’s just the confidence and the mindset that I have about being there.
“I don’t like to look down on certain players, I know the challenge of what it’s like to play at an international level. I’m 35 now and been around for a bit of time, but the mindset and the hunger is still there as when I was 17 and just coming into the NRL.”
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