Folau makes instant impact on victorious Catalans debut
Israel Folau earned praise for his tryscoring display in his first appearance for Catalans Dragons since his controversial signing.
The Australian had not played since being sacked by Rugby Australia last May for posting homophobic comments on social media, and it was a decade since he last played rugby league.
He scored a try with his first touch of the game on Saturday and had French supporters on their feet every time he touched the ball in his side’s 36-18 win over Castleford. There was little sign at the stadium of any protests against Folau’s presence, although there were allegations from a female Castleford supporter that she was blocked from displaying a rainbow flag. Catalans denied knowledge of the allegations.
Dragons coach Steve McNamara said he was pleased with the way his players coped with the additional pressure.
He said: “I have congratulated the team because it has been difficult. To have journalists from all around the world descending on this region, chasing players around in cars and following people and all the other bits that go with it, the players have had to deal with that and credit to them.
“When I sign a player I look at him from a football perspective then I work out what type of person he is. Is he a good person, is he a good player? Will he add value to the team on and off the field? I’m not judging him on any political or religious beliefs. We quite clearly do not believe in what he has said, we have made that clear in our club statement. The plan all along was to get Israel on the field and give him time.”