Cheika gives his verdict on Folau and has word of warning for Grand Slam champions

Australian coach Michael Cheika dismissed concerns that Israel Folau would continue to cause controversy over his beliefs.

There was huge public fallout after Folau posted on social media that said  gay people should go to “hell” unless they “repent their sins and turn to God”.

“There has been a lot said about it. I don’t believe it is going to be an ongoing issue, because I don’t believe it’s going to be an ongoing issue.”

But asked whether Folau would still be active on social media, Cheika responded “He is definitely going to post stuff, isn’t that what it’s for, but the right stuff, stuff he believes in.”

However, Folau is fully aware of the potential distraction his comments may pose, according to the Cheika.

“I think he does understand that. I think what is more important is that he doesn’t want to create that, he wants to play the footie he has been playing for the last few weeks, which has been awesome.”

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Cheika is preparing to face Ireland in a three-test series, which starts at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on June 9th. He revealed that Will Genia is on target to be ready on time for the opening match and hopes he will feature for the Rebels beforehand.

The former Leinster head coach has lost both his previous encounters with Ireland, but has never faced them in Australia.

Ireland are the Grand Slam champions and come into the series as number two in the World Rugby rankings.

“It’s going to be tough, but we’re looking forward to putting ourselves up against a contrasting style of play.

“They are obviously very well coached, they’ve got a very clear and coherent plan they want to deliver and they deliver that same plan every week.

“A lot of players are coming from Leinster, there is a core of that, the team that Joe Schmidt trained beforehand. There is a strong core of people moving around doing the same thing all the time and being very clear in the way they play.”

“They have had a very good youth system, they have a lot of young players that are coming through their system that have been really clear what is demanded of them when they come into the international environment. So they have been able to deliver that with a lot of consistency. That’s what’s got them to number two in the world and it’s a place that we’ll be looking to cut them down from when they come over here.”

“We need to play our footie, which is an attacking style, we like to play lots of phases, we like to play with a little bit of width. We are less a kicking team, so that takes a certain mental consistency because you are not going to be rewarded from every attack, but you also have to be strong defensively.  But the number one thing is our work ethic.”

Ireland have not won in Australia since 1979, but it’s a stat that Cheika isn’t dwelling on, “the only thing about history, is the opportunity to write it”.