North-Folau set for Test opener collision course

It is a match-up even Warren Gatland would pay to watch but as far as the Australians are concerned, taking George North out of the equation would not dampen the excitement generating around Wallabies Test debutant Israel Folau.

North and Folau go head to head in tomorrow’s first Test at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium in a battle of wingers big on confidence, big on talent and, well, just plain big. Both possess that immeasurable X-factor but while North has been on our radars since his breathtaking Test debut for Wales as a teenager against South Africa in 2010, Folau has yet to even complete a full season in rugby union.

While the 24-year-old Australian will become the 867th Wallaby when he takes his Test bow against the Lions, he too made his international sporting debut as an 18-year-old, in rugby league. Not only did that beat North in terms of youthfulness by 20 days, running out in a rugby league game aged 18 and 194 days made him the youngest Aussie to do so.

Folau also represented his native Queensland in rugby league’s annual State of Origin dust-up with New South Wales during spells in the NRL with the Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos between 2007 and 2010, yet his versatility does not end there because he switched codes for a first time two years ago when he signed for Australian Rules Football team Greater Western Sydney, where he teamed up with another sporting code-swapper in former Cork hurler Setanta Ó hAilpín.

Two years on and Folau was on the hop again, this time to rugby union, where he made his debut in Super XV for the Waratahs at full-back and is making enough of a splash in the 15-man code not just to convince Wallabies’ coach Robbie Deans he is worth a starting spot on the wing against the Lions but to make the tourists’ head coach Gatland wax lyrical.

“We know what a quality player he is,” Gatland said yesterday. “He’s an absolutely outstanding athlete, but probably the hardest position on the field to defend is as a winger. There will be no doubt that he will receive some attention defensively to see how strong he is.

“The Australians have not been afraid in the past to move their players around defensively for different positions, so whether they do that with him or not or whether he runs at full-back on a few occasions, we’re not sure.

“He’s been very good for the Waratahs at 15, I think in the first game he was a little bit lost when he defended on the wing but he’s had a bit of time since then, a bit of experience, and with him being in the camp for three weeks I’m sure they will have worked really hard with him defensively.”

Gatland was clearly referring to one of, or perhaps both Michael Cheika and Alan Gaffney, the Waratahs head and backs coach respectively, when he spoke of getting a scouting report on Folau.

“One of the big threats is how good he is in the air. That’s always been a massive strength for him. He’s an incredibly talented footballer. We’ve spoken to a number of people who have worked with him closely and they’ve said he’s naturally gifted, he’s able to ride a tackle very well and he’s got the ability, particularly from his league background, in terms of offloading and getting the ball away.

“He’s going to pose a big threat. I’m pretty excited about the match-up between him and George North – that’s almost worth the fare in itself. I think it will be a pretty special match-up, it’s pretty exciting.”

For the man himself, the prospect of facing North is just another test in his rugby education, Folau having answered all questions asked of him up to this point.

“He’s a quality player. I’m going to have to do my homework on him and I’ve been doing that for the last couple of weeks. It’s going to be a tough challenge for me but I’ve just got to go out there and do my best and try and limit his opportunities.

“I’ve had plenty of time to train myself at playing on the wing. I feel very comfortable training there and [with] the opportunities I’ve had playing there so far, it doesn’t worry me. It will be the same mindset that I’ll take into Saturday night and nothing will change.

“I’m 100% comfortable in myself and the way I go about things, so I’d back myself, especially with a game like this, even though it’s my first rugby season. I’m very confident having been selected and being a part of this team. Saturday’s going to be the test, I’ll go out there and try and do my job and do my best for the team.”

Handing full-back Folau his Test debut on the wing in such a pressure-cooker Test as tomorrow’s holds no concerns for head coach Deans, who is banking on his unfamiliarity among Lions players as a key benefit of his inclusion.

“One of the advantages Israel has is that the Lions will never have faced him previously.

“They’ll have witnessed what he’s capable of and they’ll be wanting to limit that because he’s a bloke who makes things happen when he gets his hands on the ball. And it’s fully our intent to get his hands on the ball.”