Patrick McKendry: Israel Folau at 'point of no return', so can someone please check on Michael Cheika?

COMMENT

The first image of a black hole, three million times the size of earth, something from which nothing, not even light, can escape, a "monster" of a thing according to scientists, was taken around the time of Israel Folau's social media meltdown which will almost certainly see him axed from the Wallabies.

The big question is … has anyone checked on Michael Cheika? I'm only asking because the Wallabies coach can be a little cranky at the best of times and he's a big bloke. I've never seen him truly go off one-on-one and to be honest I wouldn't want to but I reckon he would have over Folau's latest brain-fart which will probably rob the Wallabies of Super Rugby's greatest try-scorer at the World Cup in five months' time.

Apologies for starting with an attempt at a joke, but I'll extend this thin metaphor a little further if I may. According to the BBC, there is a region of space beyond a black hole called "the event horizon", a "point of no return", beyond which it is impossible to escape the gravitational effects of the black hole. That is where Folau finds himself now.

Putting aside for a moment his half-baked views on gays and others, views that have been rightly condemned by the rugby community around the world, Folau is the one Wallabies back in Cheika's squad who requires instant respect for his attacking ability.

Put simply, he is better under the high ball than any other current rugby or league player and is probably the best ever.

Wallabies full back Israel Folau and head coach Michael Cheika. Photo / Getty

He went to the top of Super Rugby try-scorer's list with what looked like a casual hop over the Blues defence at Eden Park last weekend. It was his 60th try in the competition and if anyone was going to deny the Blues their fourth consecutive victory it was the 30-year-old born in Sydney.

Afterwards, Blues coach Leon MacDonald admitted his side had spent a long time in trying to devise methods to nullify Folau. They couldn't do it and it turns out the only person who could was Folau himself.

Folau will be a huge loss in Japan if and when his contract is torn up by Rugby Australia, and not only for the Wallabies but for supporters of rugby everywhere. He wasn't at his best four years ago in England and Wales as the All Blacks finished over the top of his side in the World Cup final at Twickenham but he had been hindered by an ankle injury.

He probably won't get a chance to set that straight and on a purely sporting level that is a bit sad because in this increasingly uncertain world it's reassuring for fans to see talent rewarded – think about how disappointing it would have been, for example, had Dan Carter not been involved in that last World Cup final triumph after his injury low of four years earlier.

The other thing is, and all jokes aside, Folau will now be vilified because he's an easy and obvious target but I hope he gets the support he needs. He has messed up badly and more than once but he is about to be kicked out of rugby, and league apparently won't have a bar of him. He should know that he has plenty that he can achieve yet.