Rugby-Freakish Folau set to make impression at maiden World Cup

By Nick Mulvenney SYDNEY, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Israel Folau has always made a big first impression and only the foolhardy would bet against him doing so again later this month when he makes his Rugby World Cup debut for Australia. Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has chopped and changed his starting side this year but there is little doubt Folau will occupy Australia's number 15 shirt against Fiji on Sept. 23. Eighteen tries in 33 tests make him the most potent weapon in the Wallabies backline and until he was rested from the match against the United States last week, he had played in every test since he won his first cap in June 2013. British and Irish Lions fans will need no reminding of his test debut at Lang Park in Brisbane. With his second touch of the ball he scooped up Will Genia's grubber kick to score his maiden test try, adding a second by scything through three red-shirted defenders after halftime. It was a start, albeit in a losing effort, that echoed his explosive entry into rugby league as a 17-year-old, when he scored the winning try in the dying seconds of his Melbourne Storm debut. Four brilliantly prolific years and five Australia caps followed in the more popular of the country's rugby codes before he made an extraordinary switch to Australian Rules. The Sydneysider's freakish athleticism alone was not enough to conquer the indigenous code, however, and at the end of 2012 he snubbed a string of rugby league suitors to join the New South Wales Waratahs. PACE AND POWER That brought him together with Cheika, who oversaw Folau's transition into the 15-man game as first a winger and then at fullback. Almost inevitably, he picked up a couple of tries in his first ever game of union and by the end of 2013 had equalled fellow former league international Lote Tuqiri's record season tally of 10 tries for Australia. Tighter marking followed as opponents woke up to his threat but he still managed six tries in his second season with a struggling Wallabies side and a record 12 as the Waratahs won a first Super Rugby title. Folau has pace and power to burn, while his ability to augment his height with a leap that many a basketball player would envy makes wise opponents think twice before kicking the high ball to him. Quietly spoken and deeply religious, the 26-year-old is a sometimes awkward presence in front of the media but his moments of discomfort on the pitch are relatively few these days. Last month, he became the first player to win back-to-back John Eales medals as Australia's Player of the Year and more accolades will be his due if he can help the Wallabies out of a first round pool that also includes England and Wales. (Editing by John O'Brien)