'Never instructed': The message from Rugby Australia that confused Folau

Former Wallabies captain Nick Farr-Jones was planning to advise Israel Folau to apologise over his controversial social media posts before meeting with the under-fire superstar.

Folau reached out to 1991 World Cup-winning skipper Farr-Jones, a fellow committed Christian, a fortnight ago and flew back to Sydney from Adelaide to seek his counsel.

“I had a lot of difficult and hard questions (for him),” Farr-Jones told Seven’s Sunrise on Wednesday, the day after a code of conduct hearing found Folau had committed a “high level” breach of his Rugby Australia contract.

“But after 90 minutes, I felt that I knew the man. I thought I knew the authenticity of the man and I certainly understood his beliefs.”

Folau took to Instagram last month to proclaim “hell awaits” for “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists, idolators” in a religiously-motivated post.

Rugby Australia said it had formally warned Folau against making inflammatory social media comments last year before awarding him his new four-year, $4 million contract.

But Farr-Jones said Folau disputes how strongly that message was conveyed by RA chief executive Raelene Castle and Wallabies coach Michael Cheika.

Castle met with Folau in London prior to November’s Test against England and he was advised on writing about his beliefs in a respectful, non-offensive way, according to Farr-Jones.

“Everyone, including myself, had assumed that he was told by Rugby Australia, whether it was the chief executive Raelene Castle or coach (Michael) Cheika, ‘Do not do this again’,” he told Seven Sunrise.

“But from the 90 minutes I had with Israel, and I strongly believe him, he was basically told by Cheika once, not four or five times as the coach would say in his statement. He was basically told do it in a non offensive way. You can continue to communicate like this and communicate your faith, just do it in a respectful way.

“And it was the same with the chief executive. After meetings last year after the first post that seemed to offend everyone, certainly the media, he had a meeting with the chief executive, or at least the chief executive Raelene Castle came out and gave a press statement which greatly offended Israel as to the truth of that press statement.”

Folau’s perceived lack of clarity on what he could and couldn’t say and “loving” intentions toward sinners led to Farr-Jones changing his mind.

“When I first met with him … I was going to encourage him to say ‘look, I apologise. I won’t do it again and can I have another chance’,” said Farr-Jones.

“He doesn’t believe he’s done anything wrong.

“I did originally (think he should apologise) had he been told don’t do this again – don’t mention the word hell, for example, awaits these various groups of people,” he said.

“But he’s saying he was never instructed that way.

“He does it, I promise you, in a loving way, wanting to seek change in people.

“I know a lot of people don’t get it.”