Folau given an easy ride by Catalans
It doesn’t take a leap of imagination to see why Israel Folau felt he would find sanctuary at Perpignan, in the lee of the Pyrenees.
His compatriot and team-mate James Maloney observed that, since the papers are all in French, Australians like them could allow any controversy to pass. ‘We can’t read that stuff.’ In any case, the local
L’Independant paper is a fan of ‘Izzy’, as some of its headlines already describe him. ‘ Folau a
pris son envol’ (‘Folau has taken off ’), they reported after the 30- year- old helped Catalans Dragons beat Castleford 36-18 on Saturday.
the club’s stadium is a careworn place. Posters advertise a Madness concert that took place in July 2018. Any new moneyspinner is seized upon, even a player cast out of Australian rugby union for homophobic posts. the press room and dressing rooms are accessed by the same staircase. No- one anticipates problems.
they talk about freedom of expression far more, too, here in France’s Catholic south. the prevailing view among local supporters is that Folau had justifiable religious convictions for posting his contention that bushfires were a consequence of Australia’s support for same sex marriage.
‘I’m all about giving possibility to people. I don’t mind if he plays, it’s right if he’s given a second chance,’ said one supporter, Philippe Concina, 54.
But freedom of expression cuts both ways. Catalans blundered straight into more controversy when they decided it was appropriate to ask two Castleford supporters to remove expressions of concern about Folau playing.
One of the two supporters, Alison Grey, said she was asked not to display a rainbow flag by stewards. there were five stewards, she said, who first cited health and safety reasons, then said that it was ‘against the views of the club’ to carry the flag.
the club offered a robust response. Asked by Sportsmail for his view, Catalans coach Steve McNamara was touchy, stating: ‘I’m here to talk about rugby league, not any of the other stuff.’
Catalans claimed Ms Grey and another woman were asked to remove banners described as ‘insulting’ and ‘aggressive’ — rather than the rainbow flags — and that they were asked to button up tops revealing t-shirts with inflammatory messages.
the episode demonstrated a lack of awareness from a club who are hardly in a position to accuse others of causing offence.
Many here feel, with some justification, that there are double standards at play. Rugby league has been the refuge of players with particularly unsavoury episodes in the past. Perpetrators of domestic violence, assault and verbal expressions of homophobia have all featured. Folau has committed no such crimes.
But it was dispiriting to learn that Catalans have not accepted an invitation to visit local gay rights group LGBt+66.
there was something mildly hesitant about Folau’s introduction to the game — a half-hearted blast on a trumpet accompanied it. But he proceeded to demonstrate why the club are willing to take the reputational risk.
He’d been away from this code for 10 years but his performance as driving centre, defender and kick target was quite effortless. He scored on six minutes, leaping to collect an up-and-under near the try line and dropping over.
‘We weren’t quite sure how he would last over the attrition of 80 minutes but he’s pulled up really, really well considering all that’s gone before,’ said McNamara.
the coach is clearly relishing fielding Folau at Hull FC. ‘He will play definitely, the next game,’ he said. In which case, they should wake up to the fact that there will be protests and live with them.