In-form Folau closing in on try-scoring record

ISRAEL Folau’s stunning return to his scintillating best has left Australia’s try scoring freak on track to break one of the most prestigious records in international rugby.

With only pride on the line for the Wallabies after a winter of missed opportunities, Folau heads into Sunday’s Rugby Championship dead rubber with Argentina in sight of the world record for most Test tries in a calendar year. After bagging his 11th Test try of 2017 in the Wallabies’ 27-27 draw last Saturday with South Africa, Folau eclipsed Lote Tuqiri’s Australian record set 13 years ago.

With a strike rate of more than a try a Test already this season, the superstar code-hopper needs six fivepointers in Australia’s last six internationals of the year to equal the tallies of Japanese flyer Daisuke Ohata (2002) and legendary All Blacks winger Joe Rokocoko (2003).

It would be another incredible milestone for the former rugby league ace, already the only player to top the NRL and Super Rugby try-scoring charts in a season.

With doubles against Fiji, Scotland and Italy in 2017, Folau is also the first Australian to cross twice in three successive Tests.

With the Wallabies amassing 25 tries in their past five outings against the Pumas — including two for Folau last month in Canberra — fans can expect another free-flowing and highscoring affair. Especially with the Wallabies being out of the title running after two frustrating draws with the Springboks and a last-minute loss to the All Blacks in Dunedin. The New Zealand defeat also cruelled Australia’s chance of winning back the Bledisloe Cup for the first time in 15 years.