Steve McNamara “unsure” on when Israel Folau will make Catalans debut

Drew Darbyshire 11 Feb 2020 2:37 PM

Catalans coach Steve McNamara says that controversial signing Israel Folau will only be selected in his squad on merit.

The 30-year-old has linked up with the Dragons on a one-year deal after being sacked by Rugby Australia for homophobic comments he posted on social media.

Folau was not included in their side for Sunday’s postponed match at Wakefield.

McNamara said: “We’re not sure (when he’ll make his debut). We didn’t take him to Wakefield, we left him here to do some more training, which he completed.

“We’ve got two reasonable sessions, one this afternoon and one tomorrow afternoon when we’ll have a look and then we’ll decide.

“There’s no way I’m going to throw him into something that he’s not ready for. By the same token, if he is ready, then we’ll consider it. We’re really unsure at this stage.

“When he’s ready to contribute positively to the team on the field, as simple as that, whether that be home or away.

“Physically he’s in good shape. He’s not played the game for 10 years and he’s not trained with a team for seven or eight months so it’s going to take him some time but, in terms of how he looks after his body, he looks in really good shape.”