Munster to honour Anthony Foley in Paris on 10th anniversary of his death
Munster will honour Anthony Foley in Paris during their Investec Champions Cup tie on Saturday, with Friday marking 10 years since he died suddenly in Paris on 16 October 2016.
European nights are normally important for Munster but this weekend will carry extra meaning as the province remembers Foley, who was head coach at the time of his death in 2016 and who had captained Munster to the 2006 Heineken Cup and won 62 caps for Ireland. He died in his sleep aged 42 after a heart condition caused fluid to build up in his lungs, and the immediate outpouring of grief following his passing was widely noted.
A series of tributes will be held during the Investec Champions Cup game, which coincidentally pairs Munster with Racing 92, and will include presentation jackets bearing the club crest and the number eight as part of a tribute at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork. The commemorations will also feature a rendition of "There Is An Isle", the anthem of Shannon RFC, a photo display in Marina Park outside the stadium and a round of applause in the eighth minute.
Denis Leamy, Munster defence coach and Foley's team-mate for the province's 2006 and 2008 European triumphs, said his former captain's memory is "to the forefront of everyone's mind" this week. Leamy added: "He was iconic really. When I came in as a young player, he was already one of the big leaders within Munster and obviously playing for Ireland as well. He was hugely influential on me around my game, my mindset in terms of how you developed and what you brought in a Munster jersey. His belief in a Munster jersey was unbelievable. He didn't feel that in a Munster jersey we could be beaten. He was uncompromising, he gave belief to everyone around him and he was just a super player, a super team-mate. A very, very special person, very special player. It's tragic that he's not here any more, but we'll try and do our very best on Saturday to do justice to his memory."
Captain Tadhg Beirne, who has been at the club since 2018, said Foley remains a constant presence around the province: "He's someone who's been spoken about from the very first day I arrived in Munster. Some of his quotes and actions are still spoken about in meetings and all around the building and I think that is a testament to the man. He was a pure Munster legend, a Munster man through and through." Beirne added: "He's with us all the time and I don't think it's going to be any different this weekend. We're paying tribute to a true Munster man and rightly so."
Peter O'Mahony, who was Munster captain when Foley died, recalled the immediate aftermath, the postponement of the Racing game and the decision to play their home European fixture against Glasgow at Thomond Park a week later. Munster beat Glasgow 38-17 in that match, and O'Mahony — speaking at a news conference alongside director of rugby Rassie Erasmus — said Foley's contribution could not be "calculated" and that the loss had a profound effect on him personally: "It changed me hugely... It definitely changed me as a person. As I said, [it was] probably the toughest period of my life to be honest."
Foley, the son of former Ireland international Brendan Foley and born in Limerick, made his Munster debut in 1994 and went on to make 201 appearances, including 86 in the European Cup. He played a role in Ireland's 2004 Triple Crown-winning Six Nations campaign, won five All-Ireland League titles with Shannon and, after retiring in 2008, joined Munster's backroom staff as a technical adviser before becoming forwards coach in 2011 and replacing Rob Penney as head coach three years later.
Munster's Investec Champions Cup match against Racing 92 in Paris on Saturday will be the setting for the planned tributes, including the commemorative jackets, the rendition of "There Is An Isle", the Marina Park photo display and the eighth-minute applause.