Israel Folau saga set for a final, ironic twist?

Axed Wallaby Israel Folau’s multi-million payout from Rugby Australia could reportedly take a major hit if the sport’s governing body is forced into insolvency.

The former fullback ace was sacked by RA last year over his homophobic social media posts, including one stating hell awaits homosexuals.

The two parties agreed to an out-of-court settlement in December after the Folau sued RA for religious discrimination.

While the terms weren’t made public, it’s understood to be around $3m, which is the remainder of his four year contract.

According to The Australian, the settlement is being paid off in instalments with those payments at risk should RA go under.

Should RA be forced to declare itself insolvent, Folau would become an unsecured creditor and depending on its assets, he’d likely be paid out only a few cents in the dollar.

Folau has been playing rugby league with French-based club Catalans Dragons in the Super League, although competition is currently suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He is reportedly expecting his first child later this year with former netball star wife, Maria.

Two of Australia’s greatest halfbacks, Nick Farr-Jones and Will Genia, offered their opinions on the problems bedevilling Australian rugby, with neither painting a pretty picture.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if an administrator was appointed in the next fortnight,” Farr-Jones told ABC radio’s The Ticket on Sunday.

The halfback felt his former teammate Phil Kearns had the credentials to take over as CEO if Castle lost the job.

“Phil Kearns has got three-and-a-half decades of being intricately involved in the game,” Farr-Jones said.

“He knows people, he’s trusted by people and he’s been in broadcasting for a long time and that’s the most important thing RA has to lock away.

“He would be great with securing sponsors and with fans.”

Genia, who retired from international rugby after the 2019 World Cup, said he was “incredibly sad” about the state of Australian rugby and called for unity.

“In a situation like this, it’s easy to point the finger at Raelene and whoever and mismanagement of this and that. But the only way the game can get through this is if everyone works together and looks for solutions as opposed to just playing up problems,” Genia told AAP.

“Just the image of the game – everyo ne is so willing to throw each other under the bus, as opposed to wanting to work together to find solutions.”

– AAP