Daryl Powell wants to see if Israel Folau “is still any good” at rugby league

Drew Darbyshire 14 Feb 2020 10:39 AM

Castleford coach Daryl Powell is confident his side will be able to keep Israel Folau quiet when he makes his debut for Catalans this weekend.

The Tigers will make the trip to face the Dragons in Perpignan on Saturday, where Folau is expected to play his first game of rugby league in 10 years.

Folau has penned a one-year contract with the Dragons after being sacked by Rugby Australia for homophobic comments on social media.

Powell said: “He’s a good player, an outstanding player, it will be interesting to see how he fits back in.

“It does take a bit of time to adjust back to the game when you’ve been out so long. Sonny Bill (Williams) saw that last week, although it is different when you’re playing in the outside-backs.

“We’re not specifically putting him under pressure but we have looked at him and how him coming in will impact them.

“We’ve got some smart centres and it’ll be interesting to see what they throw up out on the edges.

“We’ve got to try and make him rusty. He’s a big, athletic player and he’s similar to Sonny Bill Williams in that there’s a bit of an unknown there. We’ve watched a lot of footage of him and we’re aware of that right foot step, which is really dominant.

“But it’s hard really. We’ve just got to focus on ourselves. We’ve had a look at him and them in their one game so far, and they haven’t got into a groove so it’s hard to work them out. He hasn’t played rugby league for 10 years so we want to see if he’s still any good at it.

“Our plans aren’t going to change too much; we think we know the way he’s going to play.”