Israel Folau catch shows he’s still best aerial player in world rugby
Israel Folau can soar through the air with the best of them. In fact, he is the best of them when it comes to the air.
No one is his equal in either of the rugby codes at this, even if by AFL standards it’s an everyday skill that every player is expected to execute as a matter of course.
If Folau had stayed in AFL he would have become an all-time great, no doubt, just like Mike Pyke, the Canadian winger who used to play for Glasgow Warriors.
While the Israel Folau controversy dominated the narrative around the sport for large parts of the 2019, Rugby AU’s confidential settlement with him enabled the game to move on from the issue, and importantly avoided a potentially long and protracted, and very expensive court process.
The defending champions in the SA Rugby Women’s Premier Division, Border Ladies, scored a commanding 39-0 win over the Cell C Sharks Women in Durban in the third round of the national showpiece on Saturday, showing their intent to retain the title they won in 2021.
Meanwhile, the Blue Bulls Women held on to close out a fast-finishing EP Queens in Nelson Mandela Bay with a good 17-15 victory, while Boland Dames scored an impressive 29-0 win over the Mastercard Golden Lions Women in Wellington. Current log leaders and last year’s runners up, DHL Western Province, had a bye.
Border Ladies were boosted by the return of SA Rugby Women’s Player of the Year, Lusanda Dumke, who missed the opening two matches due to Springbok Women’s Sevens duties. The flanker’s impact was significant as she scored two of their seven tries and kept their attack razor sharp with a number of strong carries.
Border Ladies coach, Nwabisa Ngxatu, complimented Dumke’s role and how they outmanoeuvred the home side’s defence in this impressive win.
Credit: Israel Folau
