Rugby Australia boss Raelene Castle says she has no regrets about the governing body's handling of the Israel Folau saga after comments from former Test prop Sekope Kepu that it hurt the Wallabies' World Cup hopes.
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Kepu and ex-Test centre Samu Kerevi filed affidavits in November supporting Folau's legal case against RA, which was settled out of court in December.
Folau was sacked after posting on Instagram that hell awaits homosexuals and other sinners.
News Corp obtained the documents that show 110-Test forward Kepu was "disappointed" in how the governing body managed the situation.
The veteran says he boycotted a pre-World Cup Wallabies camp because he thought his support of Folau would cause division in the lead-up to the tournament - at which Australia crashed out at the quarter-final stage.
"I did not attend the camp. This was because I was so upset about the way in which management had handled Israel's situation that I didn't think it would be a good thing for me to attend," Kepu wrote.
He said as a fundamentalist Christian he felt marginalised by both RA and NSW Waratahs and was pulled from a Super Rugby media opportunity due to fears he might speak in Folau's favour.
Castle said players weren't gagged from speaking out in support of Folau.
"We're very comfortable with the way that we dealt with things," she said.
"We gave all players an opportunity to step up and express their views.
"I felt we engaged as widely as possible on what was a very difficult issue and they were given opportunities to speak both privately and publicly."
Among the allegations tabled, Kepu said that prayer groups had stopped since Folau's axing.
Castle denied RA's involvement in stopping such gatherings.
"I'm so insulted that people think that would be acceptable behaviour for Rugby Australia," Castle told reporters at a Business of Rugby breakfast in Sydney on Wednesday.
"I'm on public record saying I'm proud of the fact that Israel was a strongly Christian man and was proud of his faith and expressed it as such.
"But he made a comment that was insulting."
Castle said players could have their own beliefs as long as they acted within code of conduct expectations.
"As long as what you're doing to express your own views inside those environments, that's what being a player inside the Wallaby program is all about," Castle said.
Australian Associated Press
