Foley not a man for soft options

WHEN the going gets tough, the tough get going. So goes the old adage and when it comes to Anthony Foley and his contribution to the Irish cause, it could hardly be more fitting or appropriate.

The Irish vice captain and pack leader was his usual, solid, reliable, commanding self in Cardiff as Ireland stuttered to their latest victory over Wales.

Never the flashy type, Foley does his work at the coalface, his honesty and conviction never in question, his strength and experience invaluable to the cause. It was the 43rd appearance in the green for a man who reaches his 30th birthday on October 30 next, two days before Ireland meet Australia in a crunch World Cup encounter in Melbourne.