Waratahs coach Cheika slams ARU for pulling Folau over safety concerns
Extraordinary 11th-hour decision leaves fullback ‘disappointed and frustrated’
New South Wales Waratahs coach Michael Cheika has slammed the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) for its extraordinary 11th-hour decision to pull fullback Israel Folau out of Saturday’s Super Rugby match against Western Force due to player safety concerns.
Sidelined for two weeks with a throat injury, Folau had been picked for the Perth clash after being deemed fit to play by Waratahs medical staff.
However, the ARU’s chief medical officer, Warren McDonald, overruled his selection late on Friday, leaving Cheika to break the bad news to brilliant fullback Folau and re-jig his gameplan on the eve of the match.
“Frustrated!” Folau wrote on his Twitter account, while Cheika said the ARU had breached protocols by conducting their own independent medical analysis without notifying the team.
He bristled at the suggestion the Waratahs had been prepared to risk the player’s safety.
“When every rugby player runs out onto the field there’s a risk,” the 47-year-old said. “The reality is that we felt, and we do still feel, that we did everything correctly.