When a giant falls, the Earth quakes.
Anthony Foley’s passing sent shockwaves around the rugby world. which is a true testament to his character both on and off the pitch.
The sad news hit the Munster rugby family, in particular, hard. It’s always difficult to see a club legend and a beloved member of their community pass away, especially unexpectedly.
Through sheer strength, the province got through the difficult time. As Conor Murray explained to TG4, Axel’s presence in their performances cannot be ignored.
“Yeah Axel’s passing was obviously very, very sad and I think what got us through it was being such a tight group and a tight rugby community… I think we’re still playing with him in the back of our minds, definitely.”
There’s one thing about Foley that sometimes gets overlooked when his legacy is being discussed. He was Munster’s manager at the end.
Munster have had a very successful season – reaching the final four of both the PRO12 and the Champions Cup, scoring some memorable victories along the way. While Murray acknowledges that Munster were inspired to push on after Foley’s death, to ignore his influence as a coach would do him a massive disservice.
“It would be unjust not to mention what Axel was doing before he passed. We had started the season off pretty well. We had a great preseason. If Axel was still here. we’d be still doing great things because the mood before that was really good and really positive.”
“Obviously, that big event pushed us on to greater heights and that was the challenge to stay up there and not play on emotion every week. I think we’ve done a good job of it.”
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