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.
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.
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.
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
I’d say France was far more hard done by in the 2011 final than the All Blacks in this game. Joubert simply refused to call a penalty against the All Blacks in the last quarter even directing an All Black to drop a ball he picked up in an offside position rather than penalizing him. This article also totally discounts the efforts of PSTD. Ask Jordie how well he played. Or the backup flank who played hooker for the entire game. Siya was also a brilliant tackle by Richie from scoring a blinder. Pollard was also fantastic. Look I don’t like the boks style but the only thing more questionable than the content of this article is the timing of it. Get over it already
133 Go to commentsDad Marty was also a handy rugby player for Linwood back in the day. Great bloke. Sensational softball career.
2 Go to commentsWhat ifs are always dangerous. If you look at the game before Sam cane got sent of SA was dominating. You could make the argument the going down to 14 men rallied the troops and made them have to play to win which is always dangerous.
133 Go to commentsOmg… you are bruised And battered Benny. Stop crying … the scoreboard speaks. What a pathetic lover you are.. 🤣🤣🤣
133 Go to commentsPacific Lions, cry me a river
133 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
133 Go to commentsGuys. Cancel the World Cup champions after this analysis. It changes everything. Ben knows. We’ll have to unengrave the Bokke off the trophy and hand it to the ABs, now that I’ve been enlightened about this illegitimate win. This needs to be done. Now!
133 Go to commentsBen is right here though, Springboks were woefully poor with the advantage they had throughout this game. The France match was heroic because that was an even contest this match had it taken place in Rugby Championship would have been an easy win for NZ. If anything this match should tell the Bok coaches that a lot of this team should be changed. They beat this same NZ team by record margin with the same circumstances but with a different core. They bring back the tried and tested guys and they nearly botch this game.
133 Go to commentsI knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
133 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
133 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
133 Go to commentsHo hum.
133 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
133 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
133 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
133 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
133 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
133 Go to comments