‘Between a Stone Tablet and a hard place’ - Scotty Stevenson
If Israel Folau really wants to stay in Australian Rugby Union, he’s got a funny way of showing it. Oh, and Rugby Australia is being played.
Yesterday, the Australian rugby union player Israel Folau released what he described as a ‘context’ piece on his recent social media comments regarding homosexuals, and his subsequent meeting with Rugby Australia officials in the wake of the public relations fall out.
In the article published on the Players Voice platform under the by-line, ‘Founding Contributor’, Folau defends his world view through the prism of his own religious experience, which is, he and his supporters would argue, his right.
Folau is indeed entitled to hold whatever views he likes, even those that would seem to run counter to the views of his employer, Rugby Australia, and the views of a number of the sport’s participants, fans, and families; and commercial partners.
Many media outlets have shared the article since its publication on Monday, with most focussing on Folau’s assertion that he was prepared to walk away from his contract with Rugby Australia, rather than his firmly-held belief that homosexuals are going to hell unless they somehow un-Gay themselves, presumably through baptism.
Yes, well, the Devil is in the detail.
In the article Folau, who claims Rugby Australia ‘misrepresented’ his position, says,
“I told Raelene [Castle, Rugby Australia CEO] if she felt the situation had become untenable – that is I was hurting Rugby Australia, its sponsors and the Australian rugby community to such a degree that things couldn’t be worked through – I would walk away from my contract, immediately.”
That is a cleverly-worded paragraph, placing Castle and the Rugby Australia Executive in a clearly invidious position. Folau implies that it was up to Castle to make a call on whether or not she believed the fall-out from Folau’s statements constituted a serious enough situation to warrant his ‘resignation’. Any executive worth her chops – and Raelene Castle certainly has a reputation for effective management – would understand the trap here.
It is a well-trodden path to victimhood here, but it is Rugby Australia who finds themselves in a no-win situation. If Folau felt his comments were out of line (and his article makes it patently clear he does not) he could have offered a resignation which, in turn, may have been gladly accepted. He did not do this. He placed the onus on Rugby Australia to make the suggestion that his comments, and his continued belief in those comments, made his contract unsustainable. That, in turn, would have opened the door for Folau to claim discriminatory policies on the part of his employer.
Even if this was not Folau’s intent – and the benefit of the doubt is offered here – it is most certainly the outcome.
He goes on to say that “there have been offers from the UK, Europe and Japan that are way above anything I could earn in Australia.” It is inconceivable that there have not been such offers, given the respective spending capabilities of clubs within each of those jurisdictions. However, this hardly provides leverage at this particular time as World Rugby regulations are in place to prevent players jumping contracts. If Folau wanted to take up another Rugby Union opportunity in his current contracting period (which comes to a close at the end of this year) he would need clearance from Rugby Australia to do so.
It is no secret that Folau is also being courted by clubs in the NRL, and his representative, Isaac Moses, is one of the most active agents in Australian Rugby League. It is almost certain given Folau’s on-field ability that there will be a bidding war for his services. Resigning from his current Rugby Union contract before the end of its term could be detrimental to any negotiation post-2018. It would effectively take a bidder out of the market.
So, we end up here, between a Stone Tablet and a hard place. Rugby Australia are powerless to prevent Folau from expressing his religious beliefs, and Folau insists on being able to do so. This is contract brinkmanship of a kind rarely seen in Rugby Union, and there is one party to this palaver that has a clear upper hand.
Tip: it’s not the one you think.
UPDATE:
The above was written before the announcement today that Rugby Australia would not take any further action over the comments made by Folau in his social media post on April 4.
In the statement, Raelene Castle says:
“In his article, Israel clearly articulated his religious beliefs and why his faith is important to him and has provided context behind his social media comment.
“In his own words, Israel said that he did not intend to upset people intentionally or bring hurt to the game. We accept Israel’s position.
“Rugby Australia will use this experience as an opportunity to remind all employees of their obligations to use social media in a respectful way.”
According to sources, there is no clause in the players’ agreement with Rugby Australia that directly addresses the issues raised with regards religious beliefs and these kinds of comments in social media forums. In other words, Ms Castle and the Rugby Australia executive would seem to be powerless to sanction Folau even if they wanted to. The release of the above statement does nothing to alter the arguments outlined in the above column. In fact, this statement indeed serves to strengthen that argument
Comments on RugbyPass
Very unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
2 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to commentsRyan Coxon has been very impressive considering he was signed by WF as injury cover whilst Uru has been a standout for QR, surprised neither of those mentioned
3 Go to commentsIt’s the massive value he brings with regard team culture/values, preparation, etc. Can’t buy that. I’m hoping to see the young locks get their chance in the big games though.
10 Go to commentsAll good, Gregor, except that you neglected to mention Sam Darry amongst that talented pool of locks. In fact, given Hannah’s inexperience and the fact that Holland won’t be eligible until next year, Lord and Darry might be the frontrunners this year, to join Barrett, Tuipoluto, Va’ii and possibly Whitelock. In fact there might be room for all of them if Barrett played 6 (like Ollie Chessum).
10 Go to comments