| Date of birth | 30 October 1973 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Limerick, Co. Limerick, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Weight | 111kg | ||
| School | St. Munchin's College | ||
| Notable relative(s) | Brendan Foley (father) | ||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Back-Row | ||
| Amateur clubs | |||
| Years | Club / team | ||
| 1992-2007 | Shannon | ||
| Professional / senior clubs | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 1995-2008 | Munster | 202 | (195) |
| correct as of 29 Nov 2011. | |||
| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 1995-2005 | Ireland | 62 | (25) |
| correct as of 29 Nov 2011. | |||
Anthony "Axel" Foley (born on 30 October 1973) is a retired Irish rugby union footballer. He was educated at St Munchin's College in Limerick.
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He was part of the Shannon side that won 4 All-Ireland Leagues in a row for the Limerick club in the mid 1990s, with Foley playing in all 48 games of this sequence.
Foley made his debut for Munster against Swansea in November 1995, a game that was also Munster's first ever Heineken Cup fixture.[1]
He was in the Munster team that lost 8-9 to Northampton Saints in the 2000 Heineken Cup Final[2], and was again the runner-up when Munster lost 15-9 to Leicester Tigers in the 2002 Heineken Cup Final.[3]
Foley was finally on the winning side when Munster won the 2002-03 Celtic League.[4]
When Mick Galwey resigned as Munster captain, Foley lost by one vote to Jim Williams in a vote to decide to next captain. When Williams left Munster in 2005, Foley became the new captain, and in his first season in the position, he led Munster to victory over Biarritz Olympique in the 2006 Heineken Cup Final.[5]
Foley had played in all but one of Munster's first 78 Heineken Cup games until a shoulder injury sustained during Munster's 21-19 victory over Leicester Tigers at Welford Road in their first game of the 2006-07 Heineken Cup caused him to miss his sides subsequent victory over Bourgoin, as well as back-to-back games against Cardiff in December 2006.
He stood down as captain at the beginning of the 2007-08 season, making way for Paul O'Connell. He was dropped for Munster's final fixtures of the 2007-08 Heineken Cup, and announced his retirement for the end of the season.[6][7]
Foley held a number of records at the end of his career. He held the the record for most European caps (86) until it was beaten by John Hayes. He was the first Munster player to reach 200 caps and was the most capped player (with 202 caps) until Alan Quinlan overtook this record in September 2010. Foley still holds the record for most tries by a forward in the Heineken Cup, with a total of 23. His career total of 39 tries for Munster placed him only two behind the all-time leader Anthony Horgan.
Foley made his debut for Ireland against England in the 1995 Five Nations Championship on 21 January 1995. He scored a try on his debut.[8]
He went to the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, an played in one pool game against Japan.[9]
He missed the 1999 Rugby World Cup, but was selected for the 2003 Rugby World Cup, featuring in two of the pool games against Romania and Australia.
Foley captained Ireland three times: in 2001 against Samoa, and in 2002 against Romania and Georgia. His last international was against Wales in the 2005 Six Nations.
From 2009 until 2011, Foley was the Munster 'A' coach, leading them to the final of the 2009-10 British and Irish Cup. He was also the defence coach for Munster.
In January 2011, he teamed up with Eric Elwood to coach Ireland Wolfhounds in their friendlies against Scotland A and England Saxons.
In March 2011, it was announced that Foley would take over as Munster forwards coach at the end of the 2011 season.[10]
Foley will also be cooperating with Eric Elwood again in January 2012, when the duo coach the Wolfhounds in their friendlies against Scotland A and England Saxons.
Foley is the son of Brendan Foley, who was a lock in the celebrated Munster team that beat the All Blacks 12-0 in Thomond Park in 1978, and who was commemorated in the play Alone it Stands. His sister Rosie was a member of the Irish women's rugby union squad.
Foley has played for his local GAA club Smith O'Briens in the parish of Killaloe, Co. Clare. He lined out for Smith O'Briens GAA club in a Munster junior club football semi-final in 2010. [11]
He has played inter-county hurling for Clare at underage level alongside former Munster rugby player Keith Wood.[12]
He is married and has two children.
Foley's autobiography, 'Axel: A Memoir', was released in October 2008.
| Preceded by Jim Williams |
Munster captain 2006 |
Succeeded by Paul O'Connell |
| Preceded by Victor Costello |
Ireland Number 8 2006 |
Succeeded by Denis Leamy |
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