‘Folau’ documentary: Wallabies star claims Rugby Australia stopped Christian players supporting teammate

A new documentary on Israel Folau shines fresh light on Rugby Australia’s role in the divisive saga, with current Wallabies star Samu Kerevi making explosive claims in the two-part series.

A new documentary on Israel Folau shines fresh light on Rugby Australia’s role in the culture wars that are still dividing Australian sport.

At the same time that national sporting bodies are being scrutinised for virtue signalling and meddling in complex social issues, the two-part ABC film - entitled Folau - is sure to raise new questions about one of the most divisive cases sport has seen.

Samu Kerevi, arguably the best player in the current Wallabies’ set-up, has gone on public record for the first time claiming Christian players who agreed with Folau’s religious views were barred from publicly supporting their teammate.

And Kerevi - one of the few players who went against those instructions and ‘liked” Folau’s social posting saying “hell awaits” “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolators ” - doesn’t stop there.

In what turned out to be a precursor to the Manly pride jersey fiasco that rocked the NRL this year, Kerevi also claimed RA caused a deep split in the rugby ranks five years ago by adding a rainbow to its logo.

Samu Kerevi claims Rugby Australia stopped teammates from supporting Israel Folau. Picture: Craig Wilson

The inclusion of the rainbow symbolised RA’s support to vote ‘yes’ in the same-sex marriage survey, but - as the Sea Eagles recently discovered - there was a problem.

Kerevi said he and other Polynesian players were never consulted about their beliefs.

“No one came up to us and asked us if we support it,” Kerevi said.

“You know, no one asked us our opinion on it. They just said, you know, Rugby Australia supports gay marriage.”

Kerevi also told the film makers that players who supported Folau were kept away from the media when the issue blew up three years ago - triggering a national row over freedom of religion and speech, employments contracts and the protection from discrimination of the LGBTQI community.

RA has always denied muzzling players, but Kerevi says otherwise.

“We got told from our media teams not to say anything about supporting Izzy or saying anything at all,” he said.

Israel Folau (left) and Samu Kerevi . Picture: AAP/Dave Hunt

“But after those coming days it was everyone that didn’t support him was all over the news. They were to be interviewed. They were allowed to say that they don’t support the message.”

The documentary focuses largely on the view of Polynesians around the case and Kerevi says he sees ‘both sides’ because he has gay family members.

But he also says the whole saga, which resulted in Folau losing his contract and missing the 2019 World Cup - although he received a $3.1 million payout, represented a case of serious double standards.

“If someone does domestic violence and he’s OK to play, but someone that’s posted something that was in the Bible, no, let’s not play on,” he said.

Two years in the making, the two-part series, which goes to air November 21 and November 28, includes interviews with a wide range of people, representing different views.

Michael Cheika, who was then the Wallabies coach, opened up about the anguish it caused, saying: “That was a really difficult time for the team. Really difficult.

“I was confronted in the street aggressively, many times by people. I imagine that was happening to players as well.”

World Cup finalists in 2015 when Folau was in the side, the Wallabies have never recovered since he was booted off the team, bombing out early at the 2019 World Cup and slumping down the world rankings in the years since.

One of Australia’s greatest fullbacks, the dual-code international played 73 Tests for the Wallabies, and scored 37 tries, before his contract was terminated, setting off a messy legal squabble.

Now 33, he currently plays for Japanese club Urayasu D-Rocks and made a brief return to the international arena this year for Tonga, but lasted less than half an hour before limping off injured.

ARU had yet to respond to request for comment at time of publication.