Israel Folau’s World XV selection prompts LGBTQIA+ flag to fly over Twickenham

Rugby World XV coach Steve Hansen has moved to distance himself from Israel Folau’s homophobic statements, while simultaneously defending his right to play in the game.

The rainbow flag will fly at Twickenham as a result of Israel Folau's selection in a World XV.

Steve Hansen insisted his decision to select Israel Folau to play for a World XV against the Barbarians was an endorsement of his rugby ability only and not his views on the LGBT+ community.

Folau was sacked from his $4 million contract by Rugby Australia in 2019 for writing homophobic messages on social media, including stating his belief that “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers” would go to hell unless they repented.

A dual international who won 73 rugby union caps for Australia, Folau is now playing with the Shining Arcs in Japan and is expected to represent Tonga at this year’s World Cup.

The 34-year-old has been selected to start for the World XV on Sunday and Hansen, the coach, welcomed the RFU’s decision to fly the Pride flag above Twickenham during the game.

The rainbow flag will fly at Twickenham as a result of Israel Folau's selection in a World XV.

“He’s a world-class rugby player,” Hansen, the former All Blacks coach, said when asked why Folau had been chosen for an invitational game designed to showcase the spirit of rugby.

“I know by picking him that there will be some people hurt. And I get that. However, I want those people to understand that Israel’s belief and views are not ours. And [we] don’t agree with them.

“But he’s a rugby player first and foremost and he’s been sanctioned, those sanctions have finished, he’s playing rugby, he’s probably going to go to the World Cup so my job is to pick the best team I can pick and that’s what I’ve done.”

The RFU announced this week it would fly a rainbow flag as a statement of support for the LGBTQ+ community. The match program will contain a foreword from the RFU outlining its commitment to diversity and inclusion.

World XV coach Steve Hansen. Picture: Getty Images for Barbarians

“I think it’s great,” Hansen said of the flag. “It’s a consequence [of Folau’s selection] and I think it’s a good thing. It’s an opportunity to show support to that flag.

“There wouldn’t be one there if Israel wasn’t playing so whenever we can bring attention to people who are suffering in a positive way I think that’s good. They deserve to be loved and cared for as much as anybody else. If we all did that it’d be a happy place.”

Hansen expects the World XV and the Barbarians, who will be coached by Eddie Jones, to “put on a show” at Twickenham and provide an antidote to some of the “dourness” that is afflicting rugby.

Selected players include Quade Cooper, Samu Kerevi, Semi Radradra, Steven Luatua and Alun Wyn Jones, the most-capped men’s Test player, who will be playing one of his last games.

Hansen wants to end the constant negativity around the game. But he fears rugby’s desire to appease the lawyers means it is losing a critical public relations battle. He wants rugby to have confidence in standing up for itself as a sport of skill and physicality.

Israel Folau had his contract with Rugby Australia torn up. Picture: Supplied

“We talked this morning [as a team] about how important it is to put on a show, rugby needs that,” Hansen said. “The dourness of rugby [concerns me the most]. It gets more and more complicated. It’s very heavily veered towards the team that doesn’t have the ball and there’s concerns around concussions.

“We see a lot of red cards, and while I understand that I just don’t understand why we ruin the game with them. Fans want to see a contest. One of the biggest principles of the game is a fair contest, and we’re giving people red cards for unintentional accidents and calling it foul play.

“If you keep giving red cards out people will think the game’s dirty, so it’s imploding upon itself. I wonder if we do this because we want to be able to say, ‘Well at least we’ve done that,’ if we then go to a court hearing? That’s pretty cynical of me to think like that, but I can’t help it because sending players off is not fixing the problem.

“We’re spending a lot of money to try and make it better, but are we teaching people to tackle properly? We’re probably not doing enough in that area. We’re just sending people off and has it stopped anything? I don’t think it has.”

Hansen would advocate changing some of the breakdown laws and he wants the global game to adopt the Super Rugby red-card trial, where the dismissed player can be replaced after 20 minutes. “If it’s out-and-out dirt well then you’re off and you stay off,” he said.

This article originally appeared in The Times