Another Folau Joins The Waratahs
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Waratahs head coach has confirmed that Israel Folau's younger brother, John, has been offered a training spot with the side.
Gibson said John Folau – also rugby league convert like his brother – impressed after switching from the NRL and joining the NRC’s Sydney Rays.
“John has an absolute raw quality to him, he’s an excellent athlete,” Gibson told The Sydney Morning Herald‘s Georgina Robinson.
“[He is] very similar to Israel when he first came over in 2013. It’s a question of him learning the game and our ability to teach him the game, and how quickly he can pick that up. He certainly has all the raw qualities of an athlete, so it’s about how fast we can turn that into a rugby player.”
Folau spent the last three years with the Parramatta Eels, making eight first grade appearances after a test debut for Tonga in 2014.
“[John] has similar traits to Israel in that he has a very inquisitive mind and wants to learn the game,” Gibson added.
Folau is in the similar mould of recently departed Taqele Naiyarovoro weighing in at 112kg and is 193cm tall.
Gibson admitted replacing the production of the 123kg behemoth was a big ask.
“It’s going to be a difficult one for us to replace 15 tries – I’d say 10 of those tries [Naiyarovoro] had no right to score – so it’s a big hole we’re looking to fill.”
