Wallaby worry as Israel Folau plans his future

The hope here is that the stratospheric sense of occasion attached to this series will help persuade Folau to stay.

He said he had never known anything like last Saturday’s Test. As he is still only 24, he has years ahead of him to play the footballing field.

“It would be great if he stayed, but that is Israel’s decision, his life to run,” said Wallaby coach Robbie Deans.

“The great thing is that, whatever he decides, he has been in this game for a period of time. Whether it’s short or long term, we are all the better for it. Let’s hope it lasts.”

The consolation for the ARU is that Folau’s talks to return to league with Canterbury Bulldogs in Sydney were suspended because his love of union had grown so quickly he wanted to stay.

And that was before the first Test.

Lions coach Warren Gatland said: “There’s no doubt Folau has fantastic quality. It’s what you want to see in sport, the best strutting their stuff. It’s wonderful to see a player of his class involved in rugby union.”

Wing George North added: “We will have to go at him hard. But now we know more about him than we did last week.”

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-23094211

Wallaby worry as Israel Folau plans his future