Disgraced Wallabies fullback Israel Folau was reportedly sounded out over a possible return to the NRL with Wests Tigers, according to reports.
"Wests Tigers were just feeling out the situation. It didn't go too far and nothing will come of it," a source close to Folau was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.
Folau is said to prefer remaining in France with Super League club Catalans, whose president Bernard Guasch has said he expects Folau to sign a new one-year deal with the Perpignan-based club.
The former dual-code international, sacked by Rugby Australia last year for controversially posting religious tweets which some found offensive, has also rejected approaches from French rugby union clubs, including Top 14 outfit Montpellier.
The five most hated Rugby players in the world
We all love supporting our teams, getting behind them for a whole 80 minutes, but if we’re being honest, there are a few rugby stars out there who we HATE.
1. ISRAEL FOLAU
He stood by his controversial comments on homosexuality and revealed he offered to walk away from his Rugby Australia contract if his position was deemed to be untenable.
The Australia and Waratahs full-back avoided punishment for saying homosexuals should go to “hell”unless they “repent their sins and turn to God”.
This sort of backwards thinking doesn't belong in rugby!
2. CALLUM CLARK
Described on reddit by fans as 'absolute trash'. His reputation never recovered after he deliberately broke Rob Hawkins arm with lots of fans wanting him to be banned for life.
3. PASCAL PAPE
Pape decided to dedicate a portion of Stade's clash with Edinburgh to his unending pursuit of shithousery .
You may remember that it was Pape who also thrust his knee into Jamie Heaslip's back, leaving the Irish No. 8 with fractured vertebrae.
Well, his next defining moment was when Edinburgh's wonderfully-named Phil Burleigh was sent-off for slapping Pape in the face. While childish, it wasn't exactly forceful. Nonetheless, poor Pascal felt its brute force, and threw himself to the ground.
4. YOAN HUGET
- Stamping on players heads
- Gouging another player
-Faking injuries
- Generally being an absolute shithouse
5. QUADE COOPER
The cocksure fly-half is never short of an opinion or two, and his spat with New Zealand captain Richie McCaw in 2011 meant he went down even further in many people's estimation.
Cooper shoved his knee into a prone McCaw's face during a heated Tri-Nations match, and the incident played into the perception of Cooper as a sly, nasty piece of work.
He's also openly critcised his country's coaching staff and last month launched a tirade on Twitter against a supporter who had criticised his performance during the Wallabies’ victory over Argentina in the Rugby Championship. Cooper, who had been sin-binned in the match charmingly wrote "Invite me to you're next team discussion then ask me how much I give a f --- about your team selection? Zero f---s given.”
