WITH THE JOB done at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, the Munster players and staff gathered in a big circle in the centre of the pitch.
And as the stands around them began to empty, Munster belted out a spirited rendition of Stand Up and Fight.
The day after the 10th anniversary of Anthony Foley’s passing, the southern province thought of their legendary number eight once again.
Jack O’Donoghue was part of an almost identical huddle 10 years ago when Munster played Glasgow at Thomond Park the day after Foley’s funeral.
O’Donoghue was in Paris the day Foley passed away in 2016 on the eve of a game against Racing.
So tonight’s post-match moments hit hard.
“For me personally, it was very emotional,” said O’Donoghue after his side’s 33-25 win over Racing in Cork.
“I stood in that circle 10 years ago as a young fella just coming through. I was asked after the game what Axel meant to me. You know, he gave me my first opportunity; he put time and effort into me, sitting down with me as an academy player watching videos, watching training and teaching me the little intricate bits of the game.
“To be 10 years on and to still be in that circle, it was very emotional for me because it means a hell of a lot to me.
“It means a hell of a lot to still be in this group and to still be playing and putting in a result and getting a result like that. It meant a lot.”
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Munster built this entire Champions Cup week around honouring ‘Axel.’
Tony and Dan Foley, Anthony's sons, sing with the Munster players in 2016. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
There were many supporters who felt the game should have taken place at Thomond Park in Limerick, but Munster got on with the task at hand and focused on doing Foley proud.
That involved welcoming Foley’s wife, Olive, into camp to present the team with their jerseys on Friday, the day of the 10-year anniversary.
“It was incredibly powerful,” said O’Donoghue of Olive’s visit.
“She’s an incredibly powerful woman, and she speaks a lot about belief and belief in God and how that has helped her.
“She’s someone I’ve actually stayed in touch with since Axel’s passing, and it was just great to see her and to show how strong of a woman she is. To be able to stand in front of us 10 years on and to present us with our jerseys, it meant a hell of a lot.
“And to show the strength that she has, it just filled me with massive strength as well, that you know you could go out and face anyone, the way she spoke in the dressing room before our captain’s run.”
It was important to Munster to pay tribute to Foley with a win, which they did after a tight, tense battle with Racing in Cork.
O’Donoghue was pleased that his team got across the line.
“A lot of pride,” said the Munster back row.
“I’m really proud of the performance that we put in to get the result.
“It’s a tough, tough week, you know, with the emotions, to try to keep them down and to focus on your job and to put down a performance like we did.
“I think to come away with the four points is huge and exactly what we wanted to do and exactly what we set out at the start of the week to do.”
Emotional moments for Munster. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
Munster boss Clayton McMillan wasn’t around during Foley’s time as a player and coach, nor was he with the province in 2016 when Foley passed away, but he has come to know all about the former number eight.
McMillan was proud of how his team handled the build-up and delivered a win against Racing.
“I didn’t personally know the man, but you actually feel like you know him through the constant mentioning and presence of his name,” said McMillan.
“That’s been really good for me and the other guys that are not necessarily from Munster but want to understand him and the legacy of Munster.
“I thought the players managed the week really well. We had some disruptions. We had one day in at UL, our normal training base, where they had a big [EU] function there with a whole lot of dignitaries. We weren’t able to go to our own base. We adapted. We changed up the week.
“That, along with everything going on with the memorial around Axel meant it was a different week, but I thought they showed a huge amount of professionalism and just kept their emotions in check.”
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'10 years on and to still be in that circle, it was very emotional'
WITH THE JOB done at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, the Munster players and staff gathered in a big circle in the centre of the pitch.
And as the stands around them began to empty, Munster belted out a spirited rendition of Stand Up and Fight.
The day after the 10th anniversary of Anthony Foley’s passing, the southern province thought of their legendary number eight once again.
Jack O’Donoghue was part of an almost identical huddle 10 years ago when Munster played Glasgow at Thomond Park the day after Foley’s funeral.
O’Donoghue was in Paris the day Foley passed away in 2016 on the eve of a game against Racing.
So tonight’s post-match moments hit hard.
“For me personally, it was very emotional,” said O’Donoghue after his side’s 33-25 win over Racing in Cork.
“I stood in that circle 10 years ago as a young fella just coming through. I was asked after the game what Axel meant to me. You know, he gave me my first opportunity; he put time and effort into me, sitting down with me as an academy player watching videos, watching training and teaching me the little intricate bits of the game.
“To be 10 years on and to still be in that circle, it was very emotional for me because it means a hell of a lot to me.
“It means a hell of a lot to still be in this group and to still be playing and putting in a result and getting a result like that. It meant a lot.”
Munster built this entire Champions Cup week around honouring ‘Axel.’
There were many supporters who felt the game should have taken place at Thomond Park in Limerick, but Munster got on with the task at hand and focused on doing Foley proud.
That involved welcoming Foley’s wife, Olive, into camp to present the team with their jerseys on Friday, the day of the 10-year anniversary.
“It was incredibly powerful,” said O’Donoghue of Olive’s visit.
“She’s an incredibly powerful woman, and she speaks a lot about belief and belief in God and how that has helped her.
“She’s someone I’ve actually stayed in touch with since Axel’s passing, and it was just great to see her and to show how strong of a woman she is. To be able to stand in front of us 10 years on and to present us with our jerseys, it meant a hell of a lot.
“And to show the strength that she has, it just filled me with massive strength as well, that you know you could go out and face anyone, the way she spoke in the dressing room before our captain’s run.”
It was important to Munster to pay tribute to Foley with a win, which they did after a tight, tense battle with Racing in Cork.
O’Donoghue was pleased that his team got across the line.
“A lot of pride,” said the Munster back row.
“I’m really proud of the performance that we put in to get the result.
“It’s a tough, tough week, you know, with the emotions, to try to keep them down and to focus on your job and to put down a performance like we did.
“I think to come away with the four points is huge and exactly what we wanted to do and exactly what we set out at the start of the week to do.”
Munster boss Clayton McMillan wasn’t around during Foley’s time as a player and coach, nor was he with the province in 2016 when Foley passed away, but he has come to know all about the former number eight.
McMillan was proud of how his team handled the build-up and delivered a win against Racing.
“I didn’t personally know the man, but you actually feel like you know him through the constant mentioning and presence of his name,” said McMillan.
“That’s been really good for me and the other guys that are not necessarily from Munster but want to understand him and the legacy of Munster.
“I thought the players managed the week really well. We had some disruptions. We had one day in at UL, our normal training base, where they had a big [EU] function there with a whole lot of dignitaries. We weren’t able to go to our own base. We adapted. We changed up the week.
“That, along with everything going on with the memorial around Axel meant it was a different week, but I thought they showed a huge amount of professionalism and just kept their emotions in check.”
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Axel Clayton McMillan Cork Munster Stand up and fight Tadhg Beirne