The key facts

  • Anthony Foley died in his sleep on 16 October 2016 at the age of 42 from a cardiac arrhythmia, hours before the Munster — Racing 92 match
  • That season's match at Stade Yves-du-Manoir was postponed; the teams played the rescheduled fixture and the return leg in January 2017
  • Saturday's game will feature memorial jackets, an exchange of number 8 jerseys and applause on the eighth minute

A match falling on the memorial date

The Irish province of Munster will host French side Racing 92 in the opening round of the Champions Cup on Saturday. The fixture falls almost exactly on the decade mark since the sudden death of the team's former number eight and coach Anthony Foley. Foley died in his sleep on 16 October 2016 at the age of 42 from a cardiac arrhythmia — just hours before the teams were due to meet in the tournament.

Foley's legacy at Munster

Foley spent more than two decades at Munster and won the Champions Cup in 2006 and 2008. He ended his playing career in 2008, became forwards coach three years later and took charge of the team in 2014. He earned 62 caps for Ireland. He received the nickname 'Axel' after Eddie Murphy's character Axel Foley in the film Beverly Hills Cop. Under his leadership Munster twice progressed from the Champions Cup pool stage; in his third season the draw paired the team with Glasgow, Leicester and Racing 92.

The postponed match and Racing's reaction

The match at the Yves-du-Manoir stadium was called off following Foley's sudden death. Former Racing player Antonie Claassen told AFP that upon hearing the news, the team thought about what the Irish were going through: 'They had just learned that their coach had died in such tragic circumstances — it was a strange, unusual feeling. One of the images that has stayed with me is people in a state of shock.' Since then the teams have met seven times, including the emotionally charged rescheduled fixture and the return match in January 2017.

Memorial tributes and words from coaches and players

A month after Foley's death, Ireland players formed a figure eight before their victory over New Zealand and repeated it before their defeat at the 2023 World Cup. Munster defence coach Denis Leamy, who played alongside Foley for six seasons and under him for one year, called him 'a very special person and player' and added: 'It is tragic that he is no longer with us. On Saturday we will try to do everything we can to be worthy of his memory.' Captain Tadhg Beirne said: 'Some of his quotes and actions are still discussed to this day. We live by his words every day. We are paying tribute to a true Munster man, and that is right.'

Memorial plans for the match

On Saturday the current Munster squad, including captain Tadhg Beirne, will wear memorial jackets during the warm-up, and a forward will exchange a number eight jersey with a Racing 92 player. A minute of applause is also planned on the eighth minute of the match in Cork.