Israel Folau was recruit to join the Chiefs and potentially the All Blacks according to coach Dave Rennie.
Rennie told Fairfax Media that the Chiefs attempted to bring Folau across to New Zealand during the code hopper’s failed stint in the AFL, investigating the possibility of Folau’s eligibility to play for New Zealand’s national rugby union team.
“We just heard a whisper that he was maybe looking to get out of Aussie rules and looking to have a go at rugby,” Rennie told Fairfax.
“We went over to have a chat to him in and around one of the Bledisloe Cup games. He’s a good man and a hell of an athlete. We would have loved to have brought him over.”
A Look Back: Israel Folau Made The Correct Decision
Folau failed to meet birth heritage standards that would have enabled him to immediately join the All Blacks.
“For him to come here (New Zealand) and be eligible for the All Blacks immediately, he needed to have some sort of parentage lines, and he didn’t have that,” Rennie said.
“He would have had to wait three years before he could play, from a residential point of view, so it was probably never going to happen.”
Rennie spoke of Folau’s character in knocking back what would have been a highly paid offer after the 195cm man mountain was criticised for a short-lived AFL career deemed by many to be a cash grab.
Folau’s run in the AFL ended abruptly after one season with Greater Western Sydney at the end of 2012. He went onto sign with the Warratahs and starred for Australia in 2013.
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