Fullback Israel Folau says he will not change his approach to the aerial battle ahead of the Wallabies’ match against the All Blacks in Sydney on Saturday.
Folau was controversially yellow-carded for making contact with Ireland captain Peter O’Mahoney during the third Test of the June series, which the Wallabies lost 20-16.
However, the 29-year old says he won’t let that decision influence the way he contests the ball as he expects a fiery clash against opposite number Ben Smith.
‘I won’t modify anything,’ Folau said. ‘After the incident in June, going back to Super Rugby, I approached the game the same way as any other game.
‘For me, it doesn’t change anything. Going into the weekend, I’ll have the same mindset in attacking the ball in the air and obviously making good decisions around that.
‘I believe my technique is fair play. I’ll attack the ball at every opportunity I get to try and win possession for the team. So that mindset won’t change.’
Folau added that he has a burning desire to add a Bledisloe Cup series win to the Super Rugby title he won with the Waratahs in 2013.
‘It’s not rocket science that you definitely want to win it. Off the back of last year, I thought we built a really good foundation within our team.
‘We came so close in the second game and we managed to get the win in the third one, which was a good finish. But I think that was just a good taste of the potential that the team can fulfill,’ he added.
Photo: Brendan Moran/Getty Images
