Israel Folau's anti-gay comment draws criticism from Rugby Australia
Israel Folau has played 62 Tests for Australia
©PA
Rugby Australia has slammed Wallabies star Israel Folau for his recent comments in which he stated that gay people would go to hell.
Folau's response came after one of the members asked him on his Instagram account: "What was god's plan for gay people?"
The 29-year-old replied back "Hell... unless they repent of their sins and turn to God."
The comment was deleted shortly by the Waratahs fullback but it stayed enough for one of the Instagram user to capture a screenshot.
This was Folau's second public opposition on same-sex marriage following his Tweet in September. “I love and respect all people for who they are and their opinions. But personally, I will not support gay marriage”.
Speaking about the issue, Rugby Australia in a statement condemned Folau's opinion and insisted that the comments were "disappointing".
"Folau's personal beliefs do not reflect the views of Rugby Australia," read the statement.
"Rugby supports all forms of inclusion, whether its sexuality, race, or gender, which is set out in our Inclusion Policy (2014)."
Qantas said: "We've made it clear to Rugby Australia that we find the comments very disappointing."
Earlier in 2014, Folau appeared on the cover of gay publication the Star Observer as a supporter for a global tournament for gay rugby teams - Bingham Cup - in Sydney.
