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From teenage prodigy to disgraced star: The stunning rise and fall of Israel Folau
If this truly is the end of the road for Israel Folau in Australian rugby, his car crash-style exit will have been as swift and spectacular as his rise was meteoric.
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Few could have imagined the extraordinary career Folau would enjoy when he made his NRL debut as a teenager at the Melbourne Storm in 2007.
In little more than a decade, the precocious talent set endless records and achieved unparalleled honours while becoming the first player to compete in the NRL, AFL and Super Rugby competitions.
From the moment he bagged Melbourne’s match-winning try on his NRL debut – as the Storm’s youngest-ever player – Folau was a sensation in rugby league.
He finished the 2007 season as a grand final winner, Dally M rookie of the year and the competition’s equal top try-scorer.
That was just the start.
Folau then rounded out 2007 by collecting another double while, at 18 years and 194 days, deposing Brad Fittler as the youngest player ever to represent Australia in a Test match in a 58-0 rout of New Zealand.
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In 2008, Folau, typically, scored on his Queensland debut before notching another double and being named man of the match in the Maroons’ series-deciding win over NSW.
In 2009, the try-scoring freak scored on debut for Brisbane, then stole the show by soaring above his ex-Melbourne teammates to claim a decisive four-pointer in a thrilling Broncos win over the Storm.
There was simply no stopping him.
By the time he’d left the NRL after four incredible seasons, Folau had played in two grand finals, two State of Origin series wins, eight Tests for Australia and set several try-scoring benchmarks.
And he was still only 21 years old.
His two fleeting seasons in the AFL were hardly as successful, with Folau kicking two goals in 13 appearances for expansion club Greater Western Sydney.
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But the trailblazing code-hopper still departed several million dollars richer.
Shrewdly secured by then-NSW Waratahs coach Michael Cheika, Folau continued his record-setting exploits in rugby.
In 2014, the Minto-born marvel became the first player to top the try-scoring charts in both an NRL and Super Rugby season while helping pilot the Waratahs to a drought-breaking maiden premiership.
He topped the list again in 2016 before last Saturday becoming Super Rugby’s all-time leading try-scorer, surpassing All Blacks great Doug Howlett with his 60th five-pointer for the Tahs.
Folau also had the distinction of playing against the touring British and Irish Lions in his first year in the 15-man game before winning a Rugby Championship and making a World Cup final with the Wallabies in 2015.
During a decorated 73-Test career for the Wallabies, Folau also became the first three-times John Eales Medallist (2014, 2015, 2017) as Australian rugby’s player of the year.
With 37 strikes, Folau is Australia’s equal-third-highest tryscorer of all time behind only the legendary David Campese (64) and Chris Latham (40) and alongside Adam Ashley-Cooper, having marked his entry to international rugby with a record-equalling 10 in 2013.
“He’s probably in the top 25 Wallabies ever to have played in the gold jersey,” lauded two-time World Cup winner Tim Horan this week.
Sadly, though, the 30-year-old dual international ranks No.1 for divisiveness and his playing legacy will likely be tarnished forever after being booted out of Australian rugby for his deeply religious, extreme and offensive views.
AAP
Watch – Israel Folau in controversy again:
Comments on RugbyPass
Big difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
30 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to comments