Folau ready to learn new tricks
Naturally gifted Waratahs fullback Israel Folau says he is keen to add more strings to his bow following a standout debut season last year.
The Rugby League convert burst on to the Rugby Union scene last year and quickly proved himself as the real deal in a struggling Waratahs outfit.
The 24-year-old breathed new life into a predictable Tahs backline and was the joint second top try-scorer in his debut Super Rugby season.
He continued his spectacular form for the Wallabies, equalling Lote Tuqiri’s Australian record of 10 tries in a calendar year.
Folau regards his spectacular 2013 campaign as a good starting point and is eager to improve in his second season, specifically, to progress in the play-making department.
"I think I've still got a fair way to go. Last year was my first year in rugby and I was pretty happy with how things turned out," Folau told AAP.
"I get another shot at this year to try and improve my game and be a lot more consistent.
"In attack, I can inject myself a little bit more and be a bit more creative and play a ball-playing role, try different things to add to my game.
"Taking it to the line and seeing opportunities, you have to make the most of it.
"I've had to work on it a bit – you watch different players and pick up different things. But as a fullback, you've got to have that as part of your game."
His Rugby Union career could have been very different after Chiefs coach Dave Rennie revealed he was in talks with Folau about a move to the Hamilton Super Rugby franchise in August 2012.
"We just heard a whisper that he was maybe looking to get out of Aussie rules and looking to have a go at rugby,'' Rennie told Fairfax Media.
''We went over to have a chat to him in and around one of the Bledisloe Cup games [in Sydney]. He's a good man and a hell of an athlete. We would have loved to have brought him over.''
According to Rennie, Folau’s lack of immediate eligibility for the All Blacks was a deal breaker.
"So for him to come here [New Zealand] and be eligible for the All Blacks immediately, he needed to have some sort of parentage lines, and he didn't have that," explained Rennie.
The Chiefs coach believes Folau had entertained the move prior to the details regarding his eligibility came to light.
"Yeah, I think he would have been [interested in moving to New Zealand and potentially representing the All Blacks], but he would have had to wait three years before he could play [under IRB regulations] from a residential point of view, so it was probably never going to happen."
Rennie added his plan was to play Folau on the wing.
"He was always going to be a good option at fullback, but we were thinking about wing initially until he got his head around the game.
"He's obviously played a fair bit at wing [in Rugby League]. There's a fair bit of positional responsibilities at 15, anticipating the game, and he still has a bit to go there," said Rennie.
