Israel Folau will return to international rugby with Tonga three years after his contract in Australia was terminated due to a controversial post on social media.
The 33-year-old winger was named to the Tonga national team on Friday for the Pacific Nations Cup tournament in July and a playoff for next year’s World Cup in France. A change in World Rugby rules has allowed Tonga to select Folau along with three former All Blacks, Charles Piutau, Malakai Fekitoa and Augustine Pulu.
Folau, an evangelical Christian, broke his contract with the Wallabies in May 2019 after he posted a meme on social media saying “hell” was waiting for homosexuals and other groups. The dual-code international then sued Rugby Australia for illegal termination and demanded $ 14 million in compensation. The case was settled out of court, with Rugby Australia and Folau issuing a joint statement and apologies in December 2019.
Arriving late in the rugby union after a successful career in the rugby league and a less impressive stage in Australian football regulations, Folau made his Wallabies debut against the British and Irish Lions in 2013, just a few months after his first Super Rugby match with the Waratahs of New South Wales. .
He remains fourth on the Wallabies’ all-time leading scoring list with 37, behind David Campese (64), Chris Latham (40) and Adam Ashley-Cooper (39).
However, his faith-based opinions and his preaching on social media were divisive. Folau received criticism for expressing his opposition to gay marriage in 2017 after the government convened a national plebiscite to legalize same-sex unions in Australia.
A post on social media in 2018 said that homosexuals would go to hell unless they “repent of their sins and turn to God,” but rejected criticism that he was a fanatic or a homophobe.
The final completion of Folau in May 2019 opened a schism in the Wallabies camp, angering comrades who shared their Christian faith and Polynesian heritage. Rugby Australia’s deal with Folau cost them about $ 4 million, contributing to a financial crisis that overwhelmed the governing body when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the following year.
Israel Folau returned to rugby union with the Shining Arcs of Japan. Photo: Charly Triballeau / AFP / Getty Images
Folau returned to the rugby league with the Catalan Dragons in 2020. He tried to revive his sporting career in Australia, but was blocked before returning to the rugby union last year, taking a contract with the Shining Arcs of the Japan.
World Rugby’s decision last year to allow players to change their international loyalty after a three-year hiatus paved the way for Folau to represent Tonga, who are coached by former Wallaby Toutai Kefu. “It will bring a lot of experience to the table,” Kefu told ABC Radio Australia. “His presence will be one of the most exciting factors we look forward to.”
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Tonga will host Pacific Nations Cup hosts Fiji, Samoa and an Australian A team in the July 2-16 tournament. One week later, Tonga face the winner of the Asia Rugby Championship in a one-match playoff to decide who will join South Africa, Ireland, Scotland and a Europe 2 team in Group B in the World Cup.