Former Wallabies player is seeking help to finance his legal battle against Rugby Australia following his sacking

Half a million dollars had been raised by Saturday morning to help sacked former Wallabies star Israel Folau “stand up for the word of God” in his legal fight against Rugby Australia.

Folau had his $4m RA contract terminated in May after a post that he made on social media citing the Bible was deemed homophobic. It followed a similar incident last year.

A Go Fund Me page established by him to raise funds for legal costs in his fight for reinstatement had raised about $501,000 of a $3m target by 11am on Saturday. More than 6,000 people have donated so far.

“My faith is the most important thing in my life. I try to live my life according to the Bible and I believe it is my duty to share the word of the Bible,” Folau said in a message on the website.

“Earlier this year, I uploaded some messages from the Bible on my Instagram page. I believe that sharing the Bible is an act of love and compassion.”

Israel Folau launches legal action against Rugby Australia Read more

He said: “My wife Maria and I have already spent over $100,000 of our own money, and that was just to try and deal with Rugby Australia’s internal tribunal processes. The money I am asking for is solely to fund the rest of my action in court.”

Folau’s decision to take his fight to Go Fund Me has prompted a sharp backlash.

“From our perspective (Go Fund Me) is a place where sick children get support, so it’s certainly not a strategy we think is appropriate,” Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle told Nine News.

Folau’s former Wallabies teammate Drew Mitchell also slammed his decision, saying there were others more deserving of donations.

“YOU are in a fight that YOU chose to be in after YOU broke the terms of YOUR contract, the kids below are in a fight they NEVER wanted to be in & yet YOU think YOU deserve donations more than they do??!!,” he posted on Twitter.

But the former Australian Christian Lobby chief Lyle Shelton defended Folau, saying “if Israel loses, we all do”.

In his plea for donations, Folau said he had “the fight of my life on my hands”. He has launched legal proceedings with the Fair Work Commission against Rugby Australia and is seeking up to $10m in damages.

The case could be a landmark test of religious freedoms in Australia.