Israel Folau's ARU Commitment Comes as Major Boost Amid Wallabies Exodus

A post-Rugby World Cup mass exodus threatens to leave Australian rugby in a weakened state as of later this year, but Israel Folau's commitment to his native land provides cause for optimism.

The official Wallabies Twitter account announced on Wednesday that their star full-back had signed a new three-year deal with the Australian Rugby Union and the Waratahs:

Having featured as a star component for the New South Wales franchise en route to their 2014 Super Rugby title win, Folau etched his name out as one of, if not the best full-back in the world.

The news comes just days after the reigning Super Rugby champions were ousted from this year's competition following a 35-17 semi-final defeat to the Highlanders.

It had been suggested ex-National Rugby League star Folau could swap codes once more in a bid to make Australia's Sevens team for Rio 2016, with ARU chief Bill Pulver offering an ultimatum earlier this year, per Fox Sports.

It read "Olympics or the Wallabies—not both," and Folau has lifted Australian rugby spirits by choosing to stick with the latter until 2018, especially considering the stream of the international talent heading for a 2015 exit.

Among the list of experienced Australia stars moving for pastures new later this year is Will Genia, James Horwill, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Sekope Kepu, Wycliff Palu, Scott Higginbotham, Quade Cooper and more.

However, it's no longer just the veterans who are opting for more lucrative prospects abroad as potential Wallabies staples join the exodus, too, with the likes of Taqele Naiyaravoro, Nic White and Paul Alo-Emile also departing.

At 26 years of age, Folau is in a crucial stage of his rugby development, and while offers will assuredly have been flooding in to lure his superbly athletic skill set, his renewed loyalty shows not all is lost.

Australia will begin their 2015 Rugby Championship campaign in July hoping to improve upon the performances of the last two tournaments, finishing a distant third to New Zealand and South Africa in 2013 and 2014.

Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph's Jamie Pandaram, Folau recently hinted the relationship he shares with Michael Cheika, his coach for both the Wallabies and Waratahs, may have lent a huge hand in any decision: 

"

He knows each individual, that’s a strength of his. There was one stage there, about a month ago, I felt mentally drained from playing footy. I was trying to hide it, I didn’t want to show the team or coaching staff that I was feeling that way.

He came up to me, asked me if I was all right, and asked to make sure that I was enjoying footy and to just have a go. Hearing those words from him lifted me a whole lot, because usually he wouldn’t say anything to me. He lets me do my prep and get myself right.

"

It's barely been six months since Cheika took over at the Australia helm, hardly enough time to truly gauge exactly how the team is improving under his guidance, with only a November series to go by.

But one thing every coach desires is to have all his best players at his disposal; in Folau, he can now rely upon possessing at least one genuinely world-class star for the foreseeable future. The full-back goes on to say of his mentor:

"

People wouldn’t know that we don’t talk that much, but the connection, the feeling or energy of each other, is the most important thing. I don’t say much, and he doesn’t say too much to me, but just by the body language and mood, he can read it, which is why he came up and told me that.

Here and there Cheik will want to try different things and I’m open to that. For me, if I get told something by Cheik, even something not related to footy, but just to give you positive comments and feedback to raise your spirits, it goes a long way with the guys. You feel confident to go out there and perform to the best of your ability.

"

It's a time of massive transition in Australia. This summer's exodus has dredged up familiar debates regarding the short-term nature of a rugby career and the options to make money in France or Japan while fit and healthy.

Many of those heading for the exit may understandably be downtrodden on this year's World Cup prospects given the lack of Wallabies success in recent years, but Folau seems one capable of getting up after being batted down:

Player	Moving From	Moving To
Will Genia	Reds	Stade Francais
James Horwill	Reds	Harlequins
Quade Cooper	Reds	Toulon
Sekope Kepu	Waratahs	Bordeaux
Adam Ashley-Cooper	Waratahs	Bordeaux
Wycliff Palu	Waratahs	Toyota Verblitz
Taqele Naiyaravoro	Waratahs	Glasgow Warriors
Scott Higginbotham	Rebels	NEC Green Rockets
Nick Cummins	Western Force	Coca Cola West Red Sparks
Nic White	Brumbies	Montpellier

Him, Cheika and indeed the whole of Australia will hope this summer involves the ex-NRL maestro doing most of the batting, rather than vice-versa, and it comes at a crucial juncture for the team as a whole.

An established batch of Australian stars may be jumping ship, but a new wave of up-and-coming talent may see Folau as an example to follow in the hopes that they can emerge a new generation of Wallabies stardom.