by Peter Williams

When Australia was playing Wales in Pool D of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Tokyo the man who should have been fullback for the Wallabies was at home in Brisbane. His wife was watching the game on TV. Israel Folau, he of 73 mostly distinguished test match appearances for his national rugby union team, was on the other side of the room smiling and … reading his bible.

Such is the deeply held Christian religious belief of the multi-code athlete, a player with elite level appearances in rugby league, Australian Rules and rugby union.

This revelation by Folau’s wife, the former Maria Tuta’ia who won a World Cup and 2 Commonwealth Games gold medals with the New Zealand national netball team, is from the couple’s first interview since they were embroiled in one of the most significant free speech and freedom of religion controversies Australia has ever known.

The interview was granted to Family First’s Bob Coskrie. It was shown to those attending the organisation’s Forum on the Family in late August and is on line from today (September 15, 2025).

The circumstances which led to one of Australia’s best rugby players being at home on the couch while his erstwhile team mates chased after the sport’s greatest prize are a significant part of recent social history.

The first signal that the star outside back might have a view of the world different from his employer came in 2017 when Rugby Australia (RA) – without consulting all its players – publicly supported the ‘yes’ vote in a referendum on same-sex marriage. Folau posted on Twitter that while ”I love and respect all people for who they are and their opinions, I will personally not support gay marriage.” He wrote later that he didn’t agree with his employer taking a stance on the issue.

At the time RA tolerated Folau’s views but essentially warned him not to post anti-homosexual content again. But for this man of principle, there was no holding back. In 2018 he replied to an Instagram follower asking what “God’s plan for homosexuals” was? Folau replied “Hell, unless they repent of their sins and turn to God.”

The following April, just five months from the start of rugby’s biggest event, Folau tweeted opposition to Tasmania’s amendment to the Births Deaths and Marriages Registration Act allowing one’s gender to be changed on birth certificates by a simple statutory declaration.

Then only hours later came the famous Instagram post which would end his top level international rugby career. Quoting from the Bible’s first Book of Corinthians, he posted “WARNING: Drunks, Homosexuals, Adulterers, Liars, Fornicators, Thieves, Atheists, Idolators HELL AWAITS YOU. REPENT! ONLY JESUS SAVES.”

The next day RA, through Chief Executive Raelene Castle, announced their intention to terminate his contract.

And so began a saga which continued for most the 2019 rugby season. Folau didn’t play in Australia again. He launched proceedings against RA in June at the Fair Work Commission, where the outcome was inconclusive. He subsequently took the issue to the Federal Circuit Court of Australia alleging unlawful termination of contract on the basis of religion, breach of contract and restraint of trade. He was claiming $14 million in compensation.

By early December a “confidential settlement” had been reached between Folau and RA. That’s code for RA couldn’t legally end his contract so they had to pay up and apologise to him. It was total humiliation for the organisation who couldn’t see the irony that by excluding Folau on the grounds of religious belief they were not practicing their own much vaunted value of inclusiveness – for all.

Now the Folaus have finally told their side of the story, nearly six years after that settlement was reached.

In the interview with Family First, Israel Folau admits that as a young man he was guilty of many of the sins he mentioned in his famous Instagram.

“I was big on alcohol. Big on drugs. Doing it week in, week out didn’t give you the satisfaction that you’d think it would. It wasn’t till I encountered Jesus that I found a peace that this world can’t give you. I lived this lifestyle and Jesus has saved me from it…”

Maria, who’d been baptised in 2017 and now shares her husband’s deeply religious beliefs, was staggered at the reaction to the Instagram post. But it also meant a huge impact on her sporting career.

“I was playing for the Adelaide Thunderbirds and there was a commentator (former top player Liz Ellis) who wanted me out of the competition because I was supporting my husband.

“It’s really bizarre eh? I mean who supports their husband?” she says with dripping sarcasm.

Israel Folau also reveals what can only be regarded as incompetence at the highest levels of RA. He’d told Raelene Castle numerous times he wasn’t going to compromise on his personal beliefs.

He was the highest paid player in Australian rugby with a four year contract worth a million dollars annually. He’d signed in 2018 but RA, after securing his signature, realised they hadn’t included an intended clause restraining him from commenting on social media.

“They sent the first contract which you signed” says Maria looking at her husband in the Family First interview.

“And then they rang back and said we sent you the wrong contract. We’ll send you another one, can you sign that, and you said no. “

Israel himself chips in.

“You sent me a contract and I signed it. I had a standard contract the same as everyone else. They wanted to send me a special contract with the social media clause in it. But they failed to do so.

“Media were reporting that I had breached my contract but I hadn’t.”

The incompetence of Rugby Australia and its CEO aside, the matter was an early battle in the 21st century culture wars. Folau’s settlement and significant payout – some reports say it was $8 million although RA deny that – was a victory for free speech and freedom of (Christian) religion. They were important wins but the struggle continues, as events in Utah in recent days have proved.

Charlie Kirk may or may not have heard of a famous football player from down under who stood fast against a stream of invective, plus sanctions from his employer, some but not all of his team mates and from thousands of members of the public.

But Charlie Kirk too made it his life’s work to talk of Christian values across America, especially to the nation’s youth. Through modern technology he could take his message to the world before tragically being struck down in the prime of his young life. He has paid the ultimate price for standing firmly to his principles, never wavering and convincing thousands of young people that maybe his way is worthwhile after all.

Thankfully neither of the Folaus have had to endure what Charlie Kirk has succumbed to. But much of the invective they received in the winter of 2019 would make one’s hair stand on end.

“F@#k off, you’re a homophobic piece of trash” or F@#k off you piece of useless sh*t, let Jesus f@#k you” are messages typical of the abuse.

What emerges in this interview though is a young couple deeply committed to each other and to their God, and not at all interested in retracting what Israel posted all those years ago.

As his wife so eloquently puts it “I get so annoyed when I hear that Izzy should have been a better role model. Well, he’s the greatest role model there is because he didn’t waiver. He lost his whole contract, all his sponsors. That’s what a role model is. Standing firm in your beliefs.”

Originally published on PeterAllanWilliams.