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Topics: Australia, Rugby, Rugby Union, Wallabies, Israel Folau
Max Sherry
Topics: Australia, Rugby, Rugby Union, Wallabies, Israel Folau
Israel Folau was booed by fans after scoring a try in his return to international rugby.
The controversial cross-code star was selected to play for the World XV in an exhibition game against the Barbarians at Twickenham.
Folau's side ended up losing the match 48-42, but player in particular seemed to grab peoples' attention the most.
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Whenever he touched the ball, former Wallaby Folau was booed throughout the entire match by LBTQIA+ protesters in the stands at Twickenham.
And when Folau crashed over the line to score, he was jeered even harder by those in attendance.
Rugby Football Union, which is England’s governing body for the sport, flew a pride flag on Twickenham's roof for the occasion too.
This was the first time that Folau had featured on the international stage in over four years – and lets just say people clearly haven't forgotten about his past.
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That said, one person who did leap to his defence was World XV coach Steve Hansen, who insisted Folau “can’t be punished for life” for his homophobic views.
“Everyone is allowed an opinion,” Hansen said.
“We don’t necessarily have to agree with each other on our opinions but you are entitled to have one.
“I’ve always been a great believer that you can’t help somebody change by leaving them on the outside.”
Back in 1029, Folau infamously had his multi-million-dollar Rugby Australia contract torn up after he posted a number anti-gay messages on social media.
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The 34-year-old was repeatedly warned about his conduct, yet kept ignoring the warnings – ultimately resulting in his sacking.
With many teams refusing to take him onboard, Folau was forced to turn to another sport and was given a career lifeline by rugby league side the Catalan Dragons.
He then eventually made his way back over to union, where he signed with the Urayasu D-Rocks over in Japan.
Being banished means a chance of playing for Australia again is no longer on the cards, so Folau has since switched allegiance to Tonga and is now poised to play at this year’s Rugby World Cup in France.