Israel Folau to see specialist on Monday before Waratahs decide on journey to South Africa

ISRAEL Folau will visit a specialist on Monday before NSW Waratahs decide if and when the superstar fullback will fly to South Africa.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 21: Israel Folau of the Waratahs is tackled during the round six Super Rugby match between the Waratahs and the Rebels at Allianz Stadium on March 21, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

ISRAEL Folau will visit a specialist on Monday before NSW Waratahs decide if and when the superstar fullback will fly to South Africa this week for a Super Rugby showdown with the table-topping Sharks.

Folau was unable to fly out with the rest of the squad on Saturday after a knock to the throat in Friday night’s 32-8 win over Melbourne Rebels.

Waratahs coach Michael Cheika had been confident the try-scoring ace would be fit to fly - and play - once the swelling subsided.

Folau, though, hasn’t recovered as quickly as first hoped and won’t travel to the Republic until being cleared by an ear, nose and throat specialist.

With Folau, Kurtley Beale and the rest of the Waratahs backline clicking into top gear against the Rebels, Cheika has thrown down the challenge to his hungry pack to prove the Sharks wrong and outmuscle the competition leaders in Durban.News_Rich_Media: NSW Waratahs coach Michael Cheika praises his side following their hammering of the Melbourne Rebels on Friday.

Sitting pretty in equal third after racking up three bonus-point wins in four starts this campaign, the Waratahs face a stern test of their title credentials on a three-week road trip.

Two matches in South Africa precede an Australian conference derby in Perth with surprise packets the Western Force.

Cheika admits he’ll probably need to “rotate the strike” during the bruising block of matches and has already employed some subtle reverse psychology to fire up his forwards for the Sharks.

“Obviously as table toppers, they’re the team to beat,” Cheika said.

“I imagine they’d be pretty comfortable and think they’ll have our measure, I’d say.

“They’ll probably try to turn it on in the physicality and think we’ll fold. That’s their perception of the Australian teams.

“So we’ll see what happens.”News_Rich_Media: NSW Waratahs steered their season in the right direction with a dominant 32-8 win over the Melbourne Rebels on Friday night.

Skipper and backrower Dave Dennis suspects his pack will be up for the challenge after delivering a “benchmark” performance in the Waratahs’ 32-8 dispatch of the Rebels last Friday night.

“As a pack, it’s just pleasing to see the guy next to you really getting excited about the physicality,” Dennis said.

“Guys are getting off the line, throwing themselves into the tackle and there’s a really good feeling in the forward pack.

“From the start of the whistle, we carried hard, we hit the rucks hard.

“And we’ve known from day one that if we can do that, the guys out the back will finish off.”

Indeed, Folau is finishing off in record style.

His try-scoring double against the Rebels took his tally to eight five-pointers in just four matches in 2014, the most by any player in the opening month of a Super season.