Former England international Will Greenwood paid tribute to a “truly great sportsperson” in Anthony Foley who he said was respected and admired right around the rugby world.
The Munster head coach died in a Paris hotel as his team prepared for their Champions Cup clash with Racing 92, and there has been widespread shock at the untimely death of the 42-year-old.
The 2003 World Cup winner told RTÉ Radio 1 listeners that Foley was widely respected all-action for his displays on the pitch and his conduct off it.
“Absolutely everybody who played with him, or against him, understood his absolute value to a 15-man game,” he said on Today with Seán O’Rourke.
“I don’t have the personal recollections perhaps of some of his great friends, but I know that he was an absolute gentleman off the field.
“He was always the first to shake your hand.
“He took defeat on his very broad shoulders in the way you would hope you could educate your children too in terms of bearing up to defeat and victory.
“That’s the sign of a truly great sportsperson.
Stunned and deeply upset by the devastating news that such a wonderful man Anthony Foley has died so young. #Munster #RIPAnthonyFoley
— Will Greenwood (@WillGreenwood) October 16, 2016
“He was truly respected, admired and loved by the rugby community across the world.”
The Sky Sports commentator recalled a touching moment when Foley sought Greenwood out after a Six Nations encounter in 2003 to offer his condolences following the death of the young English scrum-half Nick Duncombe who died from meningitis.
The centre also vividly recalled Foley’s attire, the hand gloves, and black scrum hat with orange trim, describing the head gear as similar to “alligator’s eyes” on the pitch.
“He would sit at the back of that mighty Munster scrum and just lift his head above the backsides of his second rows and survey what’s going.
"Anthony Foley had truth and honesty as his bed mate for his entire life"
“On the flip side, he picked up at the base and came around the corner with such incredibly low body position, an absolute desire to win that physical confrontation.”
He articulately summed up his abiding thoughts on the Irish rugby legend.
“If you have honesty on your side, if you can look the man in the glass in the evening and there is absolutely one thing you can say for certain, Anthony Foley had truth and honesty as his bed mate for his entire life.”
David Corkery also spoke emotionally of his respect and admiration for his former team-mate, admitting the news of his passing hit him like a sledgehammer.
Corkery was a rival of Foley in their school days and enjoyed many battles as his Christian’s side came up against St. Munchin's before the pair became team-mates for Munster Schools, Ireland Schools, Ireland underage teams, Munster and the senior Ireland set-up.
Both men were selected in Ireland’s 1995 World Cup squad and Corkery said that he is finding it “mind-blowing” to try and comprehend that the man he roomed with on “numerous occasions” has passed away.
“It was like being hit with a sledgehammer,” he told RTÉ.
“Again it poses the question, is there someone up there?
“If there is why would he take someone like Anthony at such a young age with a young family with his whole life ahead of him?
Joe Stack reflects on the decorated career of Anthony Foley https://t.co/jcGdKIG0mG
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) October 16, 2016
Corkery said the father-of-two was a like a “professor of the game" such was his understanding of the sport and was a leader you could rely on.
“Anthony could speak with his eyes. He could tell you what to do by just looking at you and by God you would do it,” he said.
“You are often asked in sport and in life who you would take to war with you and Anthony would certainly be top of that list.
“You wouldn’t put him on the front line, you’d put him behind, commanding, guiding the troops, that’s where he was most valuable.”
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