Israel Folau may be gone, but will it make a difference?
As news out of Sydney on Tuesday confirmed that Israel Folau has lost his code of conduct hearing with Rugby Australia, the already-slim chances of the 30-year-old ever playing rugby union at a first-class level continued to diminish.
There have been suggestions that Folau will appeal the decision and take the case to High Court, but regardless of what ensues from here on out, it appears there is next to no chance that he will ever ply his trade for the Waratahs or Wallabies again.
Having been absent from his Super Rugby side for the past five weeks, the Waratahs are beginning to feel the pinch of not being able to call on the services of their star fullback.
A win against the Rebels in their first match since the saga erupted three weeks ago looked to be an emphatic statement, as both sides seemed to be the most likely candidates to run away as winners of the increasingly-competitive Australian conference.
However, consecutive losses in disappointing fashion to the Sharks in Sydney and then the Bulls in Pretoria has left the New South Wales club fourth in their conference, and 12th on the overall standings.
Although they remain in touching distance of both the top of the Australian conference and a top-eight position, their reputable standing as playoff contenders seems to have deteriorated rapidly over the last few weeks.
Not only has the drama that Folau has created become a distraction for his teammates and coaches, but being ineligible for selection has hindered the Waratahs’ on-field performances as they can no longer rely on the pace, power, athleticism and aerial ability that he provided them with.
No other player in their squad ticks all those boxes quite as affirmatively as Folau does, and it’s beginning to show as he spends more time in court rooms than on the playing field.
It’s not just the Waratahs that should be concerned about his absence.
The Wallabies also don’t have anyone within their ranks that can soar into the sky to pluck out a high ball or pierce through opposition defences as freakishly as Folau can.
To say he’s been an integral member of the national set-up could be regarded an understatement considering he’s missed just 10 test matches since his debut against the British and Irish Lions in 2013.
That’s not to say that the 73-test veteran has made the Wallabies a successful team during his time in the squad, though.
In the tests he’s played in, the Australian national side has won just 33 times, giving them a win rate of only 45.21 percent.
It’s a win percentage that has resulted in a lack of significant silverware flowing through the trophy cabinet at Rugby Australia headquarters.
During Folau’s six-season stay in international rugby, the Wallabies claimed the Rugby Championship just once from six attempts, lost the British and Irish Lions series that Folau debuted in, still haven’t won the Bledisloe Cup back from the All Blacks after losing it in 2003, and fell short in the World Cup final four years ago.
Furthermore, England have left them without the Cook Cup since 2012, they’ve lost the Lansdowne Cup to Ireland two of the three times it’s been contested for since Folau’s been involved, and Scotland have won two of the last four Hopetoun Cup clashes, with both of those defeats coming embarrassingly for the Wallabies in 2017.
And while they have been successful in securing the Mandela Challenge Plate against South Africa over the past four years, won two of the last three Trophée des Bicentenaires against France since 2014, and retained the James Bevan Trophy four of the last five times against Wales, all these accolades pale in significance to the main four titles – World Cup, Lions series, Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship – they would have targeted and mostly failed to win.
Without the might of Folau on their side, Australia’s quest to lay claim to those main trophies are only going to become more difficult.
Their first assignments this year are the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup before the World Cup follows on just over a month later.
The likelihood of Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper lifting aloft any one of those trophies were skint enough before the Folau drama unfolded, but now you can almost certainly rule out the chances of that happening.
And that’s fair enough; Rugby Australia made the right decision from a moral, ethical and contractual standpoint to make Folau ineligible because of his actions, but there can be no denying that, from a rugby perspective at least, there will be big implications to follow from that.
The Waratahs are already beginning to feel the bite of being Folau-less, and it’s only going to be a matter of time before the Wallabies have to deal with that same burden.
The Short Ball:
Comments on RugbyPass
It couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
25 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
25 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
44 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to comments