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David Pocock calls out Israel Folau on latest captaincy claims

By Online Editors
Israel Folau. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)

Former Wallabies loose forward David Pocock has weighed in on the latest development in the Israel Folau saga.

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The ex-Wallabies fullback is awaiting a legal fight with Rugby Australia over what he believes to be a wrongful termination of his multi-million dollar contract as a result of an Instagram post in April where he said “hell awaits” for gay people.

Earlier this week, Folau increased his compensation demands from $10 million to $14 million, claiming that he will now miss out on extra earnings that come with being captain of the Australian national side.

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Pocock, who has previously condemned Folau for his homophobic comments, told Fox Sports News that he didn’t understand why Folau believes that he would have ousted incumbent Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper.

“I think Michael Hooper has been doing a great job and he’s contracted to the next World Cup so I’m not sure where Izzy’s getting that from,” he said on Friday.

Pocock’s comments come after former Wallaby Peter FitzSimons brandished Folau’s captaincy claims as “absurd”, especially given that he was never named vice-captain.

“It just gets ever more absurd,” FitzSimons told TVNZ. “From a distance, I just thought, ‘What? Captain?’ … but Michael Cheika, who was the Wallabies coach of course, he moved through seven vice-captains.

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“Now, if Michael Cheika had seven vice-captains and Israel Folau wasn’t one of them, I think by definition he was a very unlikely man to be captain.

“The last time Australian rugby had a fullback as captain was in 1980. It was Paul McLean, it was one Test, and after that the theory in Australian rugby was that fullback was too far from the main game to be the captain, so the tradition in Australian rugby is we don’t have a fullback as a captain.

“I find the claim absolutely absurd.”

Pocock went on to criticise Folau for using his profile to drag the sport of rugby through the mud by discriminating against gay people.

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“My view has been that sport is at its best when it’s challenging society to be more inclusive,” Pocock said.

“I think we can play such an important role in trying to instil values of fairness and inclusivity into kids coming through.

“I found it incredibly disappointing the way he’s used his platform around this.”

The Daily Telegraph reported on Friday that two unnamed former Wallabies who have signed affidavits supporting Folau’s legal case are no longer employees of RA.

It is understood that their statements will suggest that Folau’s reintroduction into the national side following his anti-gay comments would not have a negative impact on team cohesion.

Folau claims that his contract termination will cost him $4.2 million between 2019 and 2022, as well as $300,000 in match payments between 2019 and 2021, and an additional $150,000 in match payments for 2022.

Furthermore, the 30-year-old believes he would have earned up to $1.5 million per season for one or two years with Rugby Australia and a Super Rugby club following 2022.

He also believes that he would have made up to $1.5 million per year over a two-to-three year period had he chosen to play overseas after his international career ended.

Estimates established over lost dollars from sponsors, World Cup appearances and captaincy fees are also included to justify the enhanced $14 million demand by the triple-code star.

The claim also includes estimates of between $450,000 and $1.25 million per year lost in “post-playing career monetary benefits” over a span of 15 to 25 years.

In other news:

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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FEATURE Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby? Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?
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