Super Rugby’s super signing
21 Jan 2013
MARK KEOHANE reports Israel Folau is being tipped to make the biggest yet cross-code impact in rugby union, bigger even than Sonny Bill Williams.
Yet unlike Williams, money is not the driving force, and the Tongan/Australian has taken a 50% salary cut to play rugby union.
Folau switched to the AFL 18 months ago and played 13 matches, earning more than a R2 million ($A230 000) a match. He quit AFL club, the Greater Western Sydney Giants, because of a lack of passion for the code, saying he would have been cheating himself, the club and the fans had he continued to play the code just because of the financial rewards.
Folau, a superstar in rugby league by the age of 21, switched league for AFL 18 months ago and now wants to show his worth in rugby union and is confident of making the Wallabies in his first year.
Rugby union will be the 23-year-old’s third code in four years and a successful transition may see him do a Williams and play out his career between league and union.
Folau’s primary preference has always been rugby league, in which he was a star performance for the Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos (here are some of Folau’s best tries in league; the footage showcases his skills in the air).
Folau’s only season in AFL made him the 36th highest earning sports personality in Australia in 2012. Put into context, only one Australian Rugby Union player makes the top 50 in former Wallabies flanker George Smith, who plays in Japan.
Folau’s AFL stint by the numbers:
13 – The number of games Folau played for the Giants. ‘To be honest I didn’t think I’d play that many,’ Folau said
A$230 769 (R2.1 million) – The amount Folau was paid per match by the Giants (based on pro-rata earnings over two seasons)
A$1.5 million: (R14 million) – His reported annual salary based on a A$6 million (R54 million) figure over four years
84 – The number of possessions he gathered – including 49 contested, 35 uncontested – and 22 marks. He also managed 18 tackles
6.2 – The number of disposals per game – the fewest of any player in the league who played more than 12 games
A$35 714 (R334 000) – His estimated fee for each of those 84 possessions
Folau played Rugby league for the Melbourne Storm in the NRL from 2007 to 2008 where, as a 17 year-old he broke the record for most tries in a debut year. He then played with the Brisbane Broncos from 2009 to 2010. He also represented the Australian rugby league team and Queensland in State of Origin matches, becoming the youngest player to play for both teams.
Folau had his first-ever rugby union training session a month ago with the Waratahs and he will be used on the wing. He was recognised in rugby league as the best in the air when it came to manufacturing tries out of the high cross-kick to the wing, which is what initially attracted AFL coaches to want to sign him.
39 Comments
21 Jan 2013, 10:00 am
Keo, Williams also took a big pay cut to come back to NZ rugby. Rugby doesn’t rate in Aus, Williams was mobbed from Cape Town to Twickers it ain’t going to happen with this guy off the park maybe on it.
21 Jan 2013, 10:09 am
Hogwash… Folau did not want to stay playing AFL (in which he was no good) but return to the NRL… they could not match the Tah’s offer (and secret offer) and hence forth he is in union (for the moment)…
21 Jan 2013, 10:23 am
Snooze. Who cares?
21 Jan 2013, 10:45 am
The AFL did well when they signed Israel on their balance sheet, the marketing and exposure the Giants received when trying to break into the tough Sydney market which is dominated by League when they signed Folau was huge and could be measured in the millions. At the end of the day it was a publicity stunt and Folau didn’t make the cut in a game that was foreign to him.Whereas in rugby he will make the grade and whether he makes as big an impact as Sbw will come down to the support he receives from his coaching staff and team mates at the Warratahs. But I think he is going to be a colossus.
21 Jan 2013, 10:46 am
Will he be able to match the current king of the air, Bjorn Basson?
21 Jan 2013, 10:49 am
@kingrichard-5:
Sorry to say my monies on Israel. Basson wont be able to handle this guy.
21 Jan 2013, 10:57 am
@Te Rangatira-6: Basson was the leading try scorer of the 2012 season. Few players in the world capable of picking balls out of the air at speen the way basson does. Don’t see why it’s such a revolution if Bassons been doing it since the 2011 Currie cup. Just because he said no to the big money. I think Folau is just a media hyped league player who will probably return to league in a year or 2. Money will eventually do the talking
21 Jan 2013, 11:00 am
In the end the specialists will always trump the code switchers
21 Jan 2013, 11:18 am
@kingrichard-7:
Not only is this guy excellent at attacking high balls, hes very big,very strong and very fast, most importantly hes got an instinctive football brain that will cause havoc.Hes not media hyped but the real deal and you will see for yourself come game time.
21 Jan 2013, 11:36 am
NVINCHINA – I just saw an picture of this man, oh my Lord the man is a monstor. Are they producing these guys in a laboratory somwhere?
21 Jan 2013, 11:57 am
He’s a big guy at 1.95m, but only 4cm taller than some of our backs, so I’ll reserve judgement until I have seen him play.
21 Jan 2013, 12:05 pm
Keo, show us a photo of the guy
21 Jan 2013, 12:11 pm
@Eekay-12: Google him.
21 Jan 2013, 13:14 pm
He is 100 kgs says he may want to pack on a few more, but he isn’t keen to go beyond 100. Any bloke who plays NRL in the Premiership as a 17 year-old and does what he has done in League from ages 17-21 has to be something special. I personally don’t think he will have the influence on union that SBW had in his first year. SBW special and because he played in the centres much more involvement in the game.
Folau may by next year move to 13 but in his first season learning the game I am told wing is where the Tahs and Deans wants to see him play.
21 Jan 2013, 13:15 pm
@Eekay-12: google him and you can see photos and video, but I will put in a video link of him playing league if that makes it more convenient for you.
21 Jan 2013, 13:20 pm
@kingrichard-5:
Basson? HAhahahaaha. Almost fell of my chair laughing.
21 Jan 2013, 13:23 pm
check out the link I put in … this guy can play
21 Jan 2013, 14:19 pm
@kingrichard-7: In a nutshell, this is the difference. Basson can chase highballs, jump for them and takes it in the ‘bread-basket’. This guy however, both as a league winger where crosskicks to the in-goal area is a massive strategy and in AFL, has learnt to catch balls with arms extented full length above his head. Thus adding an extra height advangtage.
21 Jan 2013, 14:20 pm
Just chalk up another failed convert…Ryan cross, Lotte tuqiri, Wendol Sailor, Tamanu Tahu… To name but a few.
21 Jan 2013, 15:15 pm
@gecko-18:
And Israel can put in huge hits too…
21 Jan 2013, 15:29 pm
@bryce_in_oz-20: Yip, I thought later I should have added ‘and he can tackle’.
21 Jan 2013, 16:10 pm
@Cannon-19: You seem skeptical before he’s even had a game. Give him a chance.
Tuqiri was fine if you ask me, as were SBW, Barnes, Rogers, Thorn. Not all of these converts can be super stars but some have done very well. The Aussies have a crazy amount of talent, RSA and NZ are lucky they have it split across three codes
21 Jan 2013, 16:47 pm
@Cannon-19: Tuqiri and Sailor were hardly failed converts. Those two with Mat Rogers were very good for Wallabies. Cross was never much more than a Sup Rug player and the big let down was Tahu simply cos he was played too early in the midfield at Test level and didn’t have a clue about union defence. The Test at Ellis Park ended his Test future. Unfair to have picked him when they did.
21 Jan 2013, 16:49 pm
@gonzo-22: You spot on there. Image if rugby union was the only ‘winter’ code in Australia outside of soccer. There is so much natural ability in their league, AFL and Union players.
But somehow they can’t find a decent loose head and tight head who can scrum lol
21 Jan 2013, 16:56 pm
Who signed him and what position does he play?
21 Jan 2013, 19:11 pm
@Stoetbul9-25: He signed with the Tahs. There was good money on offer elsewhere but he wants to stay in Sydney near his family. He’ll probably start on the wing, could play FB once he gets used to the sport. He’s also played outside centre in league but defence in that position is very different in union so i doubt he’ll be tried there this year. Also, his biggest asset is being able to take a high ball above his head so that’ll be less important in the centres.
21 Jan 2013, 19:44 pm
Jason Robinson was the best League convert to Union FULL STOP. He just wasn’t on an ego trip like either one of these idiots. In his prime completely unstoppable in either code, incredibly humble and a true gentleman. (Very few of those in Rugby League).
21 Jan 2013, 21:45 pm
Naas Botha was our best union convert to American Football FULL STOP – oh **** I left Caps Lock on….
21 Jan 2013, 22:08 pm
He really doesn’t do much in that highlights reel to indicate he’d be very good at test level. His main skill seems to be collecting the cross kick. A tactic that isn’t really used all that often in union…
100 kgs at that length certainly doesn’t make him much of a monster either. He’d be a pretty averaged sized centre the way things are going these days.
22 Jan 2013, 05:14 am
Interesting debate, Here in oz we have no doubt that he can be a star, he’s not there yet but he’s got the skills and drive to be good. It was pretty embarrassing to the NRL when he signed with Union. How much of a success Falou will will be will depend if he stays more than 1 year. The Tahs are also a notorious team for not getting their back line into the action and they have a pretty good back row anyway. I think that if he had played for the Reds then you would have seen him shine but for me there is a ? mark with the Tahs, Maybe this Checka (spelling) can make a difference, it will be interesting
22 Jan 2013, 09:52 am
Why is no one called Palestine in Naw Zaailand?
I think there is a conspiracy.
22 Jan 2013, 10:20 am
@HongKongSlong-27: Have to agree, than you have players like Rogers who was a such a great player but the Aussies had no clue how to use him.
22 Jan 2013, 11:27 am
Imagine this guy running at Geo or Joe Petersen Oh my goodness – lets stick to Van Den Heever and Habana or De Allende on the wing for that game.
22 Jan 2013, 12:19 pm
Isn’t it nice to see Keo conversing with The Muppits again.
23 Jan 2013, 01:17 am
Rogers was supremely talented but he was a bit part player in Wallabies.wasnt world class or the best in any position in oz
Wendell Sailor had a few decent games but largely was a bust,selected for Wallabies at times purely due to hype and contract with ARU and fact that Ben Tune struggled with injuries and fact that Graeme Bond left early to go overseas.Sailor was a bust
Tuqiri was class up until his failed move to midfield under Knuckles and loss of speed after that.But from 2003-2005 he was all class,world class.
Timana Tahu,Peter Ryan,Nathan Blacklock,Willie Mason,Cooper Vuna,Clinton Schifcofske…..etc Rubbish
23 Jan 2013, 04:30 am
@mshiniwami-35:
Who touted Willie Mason, Peter Ryan, Nathan Blacklock, Schifcofske, Ryan, Blacklock et al (as you put it) as being the next Sonny Bill Williams… most of them never even made the Wallabies?
Many of the above and more (that weren’t mentally piss-poor) that made the switch went on to be fantastic servants of the game at the top of the game (Super Rugby, UK and France)… to rubbish their union careers shows a distinct level of arrogance/ignorance…
As for pooh-poohing a guy like Cooper Vuna who is an exceptional athlete, had only two seasons of rugby and 2 tests before dislocating his shoulder… well my point stands…
Not every switch is going to unearth the next Brad Thorn, SBW, Lote at test level… but there are going to be plenty of exceptional plenty players at the top level…
23 Jan 2013, 05:10 am
This guy sure can leap high.No wonder they wanted him in the AFL.
Dont see him having the same passion for Rugby Union as well. League is his code.
23 Jan 2013, 13:35 pm
@bryce_in_oz-36:
Cooper Vuna may be a “fantastic” athlete but he’s a piss poor player,to have him anywhere near a test jumper last year just illustrates how desperate oz are when it comes to making good on the league-ies.
Peter Ryan,Schifcofske played for Oz A thus were in Wallabies system or there about.They were never test quality of even close…Tahu was horrible
The league obsession in Oz as if they will step in and set world on fire etc is played out.Been hearing it for years,ain’t nobody got time for that
26 Jan 2013, 15:53 pm
Seeing is believing. Don’t put ur money on him yet. . Bet
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