Folau wants kickers to aim up in decider
ISRAEL Folau has placed the onus on Australia’s tactical kickers to be more accurate to ensure he sees more ball in the Wallabies’ series-deciding Test against Ireland on Saturday.
Folau has been deadly in the air for the NSW Waratahs all Super Rugby season but struggled to make the same impact during the first two split Tests against the European champions.
The Irish have expertly nullified the champion fullback with “escort” runners taking Folau out with clever lines, a tactic that Wallabies assistant coach Stephen Larkham questioned in the wake of Australia’s 26-21 second-Test loss in Melbourne last Saturday.
Folau, though, has no qualms about the tourists’ “blocking” ploy to combat him and is demanding his NSW state teammates Kurtley Beale and Bernard Foley be more pinpoint in the series decider at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, the trio’s familiar home patch.
“Obviously I didn’t get many touches on the weekend so hopefully I get a few more opportunities to get my hands on the ball as much as I can and just play some footy,” Folau said on Tuesday.
“I put it down to the execution on our kicks. It wasn’t where we wanted to place them (in Melbourne). They were a little bit further than we’d liked and a bit more in- field, which makes it a lot easier for their guys to escort.”
Despite their lack of success with the tactic, Beale maintains high kicks for Folau and winger Dane Haylett-Petty was still the way to go.
“They’re obviously pretty aware of that tactic now so we’ve got to try to manipulate them in other areas of the field by maybe holding on to the ball, getting to another edge and seeing what their backfield does,” Beale said.