Israel Folau Found Guilty Of High-Level Breach

Israel Folau's future in Australian rugby is looking increasingly grim after an independent panel determined that the Wallabies superstar committed a "high level" breach of his contract.

The three-person panel of chair John West QC, Rugby Australia representative Kate Eastman SC and the RUPA-appointed John Boultbee have now retired to decide on a sanction for Folau following an epic code of conduct hearing in Sydney.

RA boss Raelene Castle issued Folau with a breach notice last month following his controversial social media posts about homosexuals and other sinners and threatened to tear up his four-year, $4 million contract.

While Folau may yet be spared the sack, termination of his contract is now a possibility.

Had the panel deemed Folau's breach of Rugby Australia's players' code of conduct anything less than "high level", the governing body would not have had the power to boot the three-times John Eales Medallist out of the game.

Other lesser sanctions the 30-year-old now faces include suspension and/or a fine.

The sanction is not expected to be handed down for several days, with RA not offering a timeline on any decision.

Folau also has the right of appeal.