In all the touching tributes and emotional reminiscences of the late great Anthony Foley, one word kept being repeated over and over. Values. According to those who knew him best, he was a man of principles. Rugby was central to his sense of self. So too was family. Rugby and family were one for Foley.
Foley was Munster captain and later Munster coach. His father Brendan played for Munster against the All Blacks in 1978. Munster rugby was in his veins.
At the very end of the two hour long documentary 'Axel', which Iris Productions produced for Foley's testimonial in 2008 and features the voices of pretty much every Munster legend, we see a short scene that seems to encapsulate everything that Foley stood for. Munster have won the Heineken Cup. Tears and jubilation sweep Cardiff. Before the cup is lifted, Donncha O'Callaghan hands Foley his young son Tony, who is wearing a child-sized rugby shirt with the name 'Dad' written on the back. Tony looks confused. His father looks elated.
Munster players didn't do much in the way of sentimentality but this felt especially meaningful.
"That'd be a big thing for him. He used to be in the dressing room with his father as a young fella," Paul O'Connell says, watching the scene.
"He probably didn't know what the whole day was about but at least he can say he was there, you know?" Foley adds.
The documentary captures much of the spirit of Foley, primarily in its moving Cardiff 2006 sequence, which features ROG, O'Connell, the Claw and many others giving their verdict on that amazing day and the man who lead them to the mountaintop.
This are just some of the tributes paid to Foley. They feel especially meaningful today:
"He was the link with the old and the new. He was the spirit of Munster. He wasn't just a professional sports man. He played for the team."
You can watch the entire documentary below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzylYKPDYq8
