Te'o said it was while he was sharing an apartment with Wallabies fullback Folau in Sydney and playing for the South Sydney Rabbitohs that he decided to make the switch.
"I was feeling a bit stale and asking myself some questions, which I bounced off him - I'm 27, do you think it's too late?," Te'o told British media.
"He said 'No, no it's not too late. I think you can do it'. He gave me a lot of confidence to give it a go.
"A chat about if I got myself over to the Premiership I would have an opportunity if I played well to put myself in the system and that's how it came along!" Te'o said.
Born in New Zealand where he represented the Kiwis rugby league team at junior levels, Te'o moved to Australia as a 17-year-old and built a successful career in the National Rugby League with West Tigers, Brisbane and South Sydney.
He represented Samoa at the 2008 rugby league World Cup, declared for Australia to play State of Origin for Queensland before moving to play rugby union in Ireland with Leinster.
Less than six months after signing for Worcester Warriors, and on the back of his mother's English heritage, he was one of four uncapped players included in the squad for the Australia tour.
(Reporting by Debanjan Bose in Bengaluru; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
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