Israel Folau

Position	Fullback
Debut	2013 vs British & Irish Lions, Brisbane
Caps	63
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Debut	2015 vs Fiji, Cardiff
Caps	5 World Cup matches

Position	Full Back
Date of birth	3 April 1989
Height	193cm
Weight	103kg
Debut	2013 vs British & Irish Lions, Brisbane
Caps	38 Tests

Position	Full Back
Date of birth	3 April 1989
Height	193cm
Weight	103kg

Biography

He’s made one of the most incredible transitions to rugby and still there’s no stopping the superstar that is Israel Folau. Following his impressive second year with the Waratahs, which ended triumphantly with the Super Rugby trophy, the skilled back continued to contribute to his beloved Waratahs in 2015. He topped the Super Rugby stats for most carries (231), most run metres (1677) and offloads, came second in the amount of defenders beaten and was on the leaderboard for the most clean breaks. For his efforts, Folau was named as the Waratahs’ Best Back and came second in the polling for the Matthew Burke Cup Players’ Player Award, behind Michael Hooper. Following another brilliant year in the Wallabies jersey, Folau was called upon for his first Rugby World Cup. Just prior to the tournament, he became the first player to win consecutive John Eales Medal in just his third year in rugby, joining George Smith and Nathan Sharpe as one of only three players to win the award twice. Folau made his international debut in 2013, after just 14 games in Super Rugby, against the British & Irish Lions at Suncorp Stadium, scoring the opening try.

Biography

Israel Folau is arguably Australia’s most successful cross-code athlete, having played NRL and AFL and rugby at the elite level. Born in south-western Sydney to a devoutly religious Polynesian family, Folau, one of six children, took up sport at an early age. Folau played rugby league for the Minto Cobras alongside Jarryd Hayne before the family moved to Brisbane, with the promising talent graduating from Marsden High School in 20016. Later that year he was selected to tour England with the Australian Schoolboys rugby league side, before a stellar debut NRL season, that became a record-breaking NRL career, though it lasted just four seasons. Folau signed a three-year deal with fledgling AFL side the Greater Western Sydney Giants, but lasted just one season before switching to rugby, a code in which he has flourished. After just 14 Super Rugby caps Folau scored a double on his Test debut, against the British & Irish Lions, an auspicious start to his international career.

Highlights

2013
Folau won his first Test cap, playing wing against the British & Irish Lions. He became the 89th Australian to score a debut try, with two in that match. He played in all 15 Tests that year, the first five on the wing and the final 10 as fullback. Over the course of the year Folau scored 10 Test tries to equal Lote Tuqiri’s all-time Australian single season record set in 2004.

2014
Folau started at fullback in all 14 Tests and, breaking Chris Latham’s Australian record of 17 successive caps as run-on No.15 along the way.. For a second consecutive season, Folau finished the year as top Wallaby try scorer (7) and beat Michael Hooper by more than 80 votes to win his first John Eales Medal.

2015
Folau won a further nine Test caps but only managed a single try. He extended his consecutive run of Tests at fullback to 28 before he was left out of the side to play a pre-Rugby World Cup warm-up against the United States in Chicago. Folau became the third player, after George Smith and Nathan Sharpe, to win the John Eales Medal for a second time and the first to win it in consecutive years. He was chosen for his first Rugby World Cup however his impact on the tournament was negated by an injury to his left ankle - picked up in the pool match against England - that later required surgery.

2016
Folau played in all but one Test through 2016 - against France in Paris - as he earned 14 caps. He won his 50th Test cap against Scotland at Murrayfield.

2017
Folau cast aside two lean seasons on the try-scoring front to set the rugby world alight in 2017. Doubles in the first three Tests of the season were followed by a try in each of the three Tests against the All Blacks, a feat only Matthew Burke in 1998 has matched. He finished the year with 12 tries from 10 Tests and went on to claim a record third John Eales Medal, before sitting out the Spring Tour.

Biography

Israel Folau’s transition to Rugby reaped swift rewards, with the fullback becoming the first player to win back-to-back John Eales Medal and just the third to win the award twice in just his third season in Rugby. Since making his debut in 2013, Folau has quickly become one of the focal points for the Wallabies and NSW Waratahs with a record 10 Test tries in 2013, surpassing Lote Tuqiri’s previous mark, and a Super Rugby leading 12 tries in 13 matches in 2014. In 2015, Folau committed his long-term playing future to the Waratahs and Wallabies, signing a three-year contract extension through until at least the end of 2018. “Izzy” missed his first Wallabies Tests since his debut in 2015, with an ankle issue that hindered his Rugby World Cup campaign.

The Rugby Championship 2020 season

Biography

He’s made one of the most incredible transitions to rugby and still there’s no stopping the superstar that is Israel Folau. A Super Rugby title, the Waratahs’ try-scoring record, and a Wallabies career that has from the outset seen him recognised as one of the most dangerous fullback in world rugby. A strong advocate of club rugby despite very limited appearances with Sydney Uni, Folau’s involvement with the Stars to date has similarly been as more of an NRC ambassador.