Folau Fainga'a

Folau Faingaa bears a name that many a fan would think is custom made for success in international rugby. However, the Sydney-born hooker bears no relation to star fullback Israel Folau, nor the twin Wallaby brothers Saia and Anthony Fainga’a.

Both dynamic and powerful, Fainga’a made a strong impression on national coach Michael Cheika in 2014 when he was a member of the Waratahs' U20s. At the time Fainga’a was happy working as a concreter and playing club rugby however his subsequent selection for the Australian U20s in 2015 ignited his professional hopes and he trained with the senior Waratahs for eight weeks. Two seasons in the National Rugby Championship with the Sydney Stars and then the 2016 runners-up, the NSW Country Eagles, were followed by a surprise call-up to the Wallaby camp ahead of the third Bledisloe Cup Test in 2017.

At that time Fainga’a, while signed to an extended playing squad contract for the 2018 season with the Brumbies, had not played a single match of Super Rugby. Fainga’a didn’t even start that season as the Brumbies' first choice hooker however a horror hamstring injury to Josh Mann-Rea provided an opening that he gladly accepted. Fainga’a debuted off the bench against the Rebels and a little over five months later ran on to Eden Park for his maiden Test.

In 2019 Fainga’a starred during the Super Rugby season as the Brumbies near unstoppable rolling maul paved the way for him to equal Malcolm Marx’s record of 12 tries for a forward and the reward was selection to his first Rugby World Cup. A year later Fainga’a continued to find the chalk and he became just the fourth player - back or forward - to score more than 10 tries in successive SR seasons.

In 2022, Fainga’a became the first Wallaby forward this century to top the season’s Test try scoring list on an outright basis.

After moving to France and Clermont Auvergne in 2023, Fainga'a couldn't pass up the opportunity to return to his hometown club and reunite with his coach at the Brumbies, Dan McKellar.