Aussie teammates ‘blocked’ from supporting Israel Folau
Senior Australian rugby players felt unable to publicly support teammate Israel Folau due to pressure from the sport’s governing body, according to an Australian newspaper. Folau’s playing contract was terminated over a social media post quoting the Bible. He later reached a settlement with Rugby Australia (RA) and received an apology. Support It has been reported that senior internationals Sekope Kepu and Samu Kerevi submitted statements in support of Folau to the Federal Circuit Court of Australia in November. But both players felt that they were prevented from speaking to the media about the case by RA. Kerevi wrote that Folau was being punished for simply “expressing his faith” and the treatment was inconsistent with discipline for other players. He added: “At the time I wanted to support Israel publicly. I couldn’t because the players were told by management not to comment on the issue.” Religious beliefs RA chief Raelene Castle has denied the claims. In December