A rolling Folau gathers no moss, would seem to be the operative phrase to describe the sports journey of Wallabies superstar Israel Folau.
He is reportedly pondering an off-season jump from the NSW Waratahs to the Queensland Reds.
In the midst of preparing for an upcoming game with the Highlanders, a Super rugby quarterfinal, Folau characterised the switch as “rumours” and “white noise.”
Folau certainly has seen much in his time. He was born in western Sydney and moved to Brisbane in his early teens, where he eventually got a job with the NRL’s Broncos and qualified on the basis of residency to play representative football in State of Origin for the Maroons.
He also has notches carved into the butt of his pistol from two years with the Melbourne Storm and two years with the AFL’s Greater Western Sydney Giants. As good as he is at rugby, Folau was undistinguished at Australian rules, playing just 13 games and kicking two goals, but checking off the code-hopping box on his list.
When he appeared at a presser ahead of the game with the Highlanders, he would give no inkling of his intention to resign with the Waratahs, but instead spoke of the options open to him.
“I know there’s rumours going round,” he said. “But not from my end in the sense that my management are taking control of that.There’s no timeline. I’m just going to take my time and see what best for me.There’s so many options I guess from my point of view, that I’ll have a look at once the season comes to an end.”
The Waratahs v Highlanders game can make the claim that the two best fullbacks in the world will go head-to-head, as along with Folau, Ben Smith will be back for the Highlanders after spelling last week.
Folau discussed that the strategy for keeping Smith in check is the same one other teams use to limit Folau, which is to keep the ball away from him as much as possible.