Who Israel Folau blames for his Rugby Australia sacking

Israel Folau has claimed that media spin was largely responsible for his 2019 dismissal by Rugby Australia (RA), insisting that he was "misunderstood" at the time.

The 35-year-old former Wallabies full-back was key player for the Wallabies when RA terminated his contract following controversial social media posts.

In 2019, Folau posted on Instagram that "hell awaits drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolators." This post followed a 2018 incident where he stated that homosexuals would go to hell unless they repented, sparking widespread backlash.

Folau's comments and subsequent dismissal effectively ended his career at the top level of rugby, although he has recently returned to Test rugby with Tonga. Before his sacking, Folau had featured in 73 Tests for Australia and was signed with the Waratahs for another three years in a deal that would have run until 2022.

He has since maintained that his intentions were misrepresented, attributing his downfall to how the media portrayed his views.

“When I put up the post, I never thought that I’d get terminated for it. It just never crossed my mind,” Folau told the  Ebbs and Flows rugby league podcast this weekend.

“A lot of people misunderstood the actual post and the media played a huge part in taking it and spinning that one word.

“If you know me personally, you’d know the intention behind the post. But the media played a huge part in taking it and spinning it the way they wanted to.

“I think that built all that pressure and momentum which went that way and ended up with me getting terminated.”

After his contract was terminated by Rugby Australia he has went on to have another stint in rugby league before returning to rugby union with Japan’s Urayasu D-Rocks.

The 6'4, 102kg outside back missed the Rugby World Cup with Tonga last year with injury.