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An outside bet to replace Israel Folau just put his hand up

Israel Folau. Photo / Getty Images

Brumbies flyer Tom Banks put his hand up to replace Wallabies fullback Israel Folau with a stunning return to form against the Lions in Super Rugby.

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Banks was back to his devastating best, breaking the line with ease and scoring a try as the ACT cantered to a 31-20 victory in Canberra on Saturday.

It was a timely performance as Folau looks set to be sacked by Rugby Australia following his controversial social media post last week.

Folau listed homosexuals as one of eight groups of people for whom “Hell awaits”, and Rugby Australia have said they intend to fire the 62-Test fullback.

The NSW Waratahs superstar was sanctioned in 2017 for similar comments and intends to fight any punishment from his employers.

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It’s highly unlikely Folau will be part of the Wallabies’ World Cup squad in Japan later this year and Banks has put himself in prime position to fill the void.

The 3-5 Brumbies have endured an inconsistent start but if Banks’ form continues into the second half of the Super Rugby season he could prove irresistible to Wallabies coach Michael Cheika.

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“It’s a lot better to be making good metres and getting involved in the game so obviously I’m happy with that but it’s a team thing, on the back of team success comes personal success,” Banks told AAP.

Banks debuted and played four Tests for Australia last year but Brumbies coach Dan McKellar was quick to temper his rise into Folau’s boots.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves on the back of one pretty good performance, I just think we rush into that with individuals, not just Tom Banks but anyone,” McKellar said.

“If your preparation is good you perform well for your franchise and all those selections and outcomes will look after themselves.

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“He’s got genuine speed, he’s in the game, he’ll challenge any defensive line, whether it’s Super Rugby or Test level he’s going to be someone who’s going to be in the forefront of selectors’ minds.”

If Folau’s contract is terminated, Banks will battle for the Wallabies No. 15 jersey with Reece Hodge, Dane Haylett-Petty and Jack Maddocks.

AAP

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JW 2 hours ago
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Agree re Lynagh.


Disagree Beaver got it wrong. Blues made that look easy. It might be a brawn over brains picture though? More in the last point, but, and this may have changed by player selection, the Reds were very lucky this game. Tele’a should not have been red carded as Ryan landed on his shoulder, and both Tate and Jock (was it) should have been yellowed carded for their offenses in stopping tries. We also had a try dissallowed by going back 10 phases in play. We all should have learned after the RWC that that is against the rules. So straight away on this simple decisions alone the result changes to go in the Blues favour, away from home and playing fairly poorly. The sleeping giant if you will. I didn’t agree with the Blues take either tbh, but to flip it around and say it’s the Reds instead is completely inaccurate (though a good side no doubt you have to give them a chance).


And you’re also riding the wave of defense wins matches a bit much. Aside from Dre’s tackling on Rieko I didn’t see anything in that match other than a bit of tiny goal line defending. I think if you role on the tap for another second you see the ball put placed for the try (not that I jump to agree with Eklund purely because he was adamant), and in general those just get scored more often than not. They are doing something good though stopping line breaks even if it is the Blues (and who also got over the line half a dozen times), I did not expect to be greeted with that stat looking at the game.

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