MIDWEEK marked the eighth anniversary of the sad passing of Anthony ‘Axel’ Foley.
Foley was one of the sport’s most respected figures. He played over 60 times for Ireland between 1995 and 2005 – then an Irish record for a No 8.
He had also captained Munster to their first Heineken Cup triumph in 2006.
Axel was just 42 when he died back in 2016.
He was head coach with the club at the time.
His presence is still felt within the Munster dressing-room.
“We were speaking about it on the bus there, about Axel and the great memories. The thing about Axel, we always talk about him, always speak about him,” commented the former colleague and current Munster attack coach Mike Predergast.
“Around now is his anniversary but just in terms of what he was as a friend, what he was as a player and as a coach.
“He’s a person we speak about all the time. A brilliant guy and we remember him obviously more this week, his anniversary, but he’s always spoken about.”
Foley’s dad Brendan – himself an outstanding player in his time – is the current President of the Munster Branch.
