The making of a Munster and Ireland legend
January 21, 1995
Capped by Ireland for the first of 62 appearances in Test-match rugby, Foley scores a try in a home Five Nations defeat to England. He spends a decade in the Irish back row and scores five tries for his country.
November 1, 1995
Makes his Munster debut in the province’s first ever Heineken Cup match, a 17-13 win over Swansea at Thomond Park. It is the first of 188 senior appearances for Munster, 86 of them in European competition.
1998
Wins a fourth consecutive AIL title with Shannon, beating Garryowen in an all-Limerick final. Foley played in every game for his club in that four-year reign.
May 2006
Captains Munster to its first Heineken Cup final victory, over Biarritz in Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. Foley had also played in two final defeats, against Northampton in 2000 and Leicester in 2002 and scored 22 tries in the competition.
July 2008
Retires as a player after 13 seasons in red for Munster and joins the province’s coaching staff as Technical Advisor and Assistant Coach for Defence. It is the start of a coaching career that saw him lead the Munster U20s and take the British & Irish Cup squad to the inaugural B&I Cup final in May 2010.
July 2011
Promotion to Munster forwards coach under incoming head coach Rob Penney, Foley is also seconded to the national set-up, as the forwards and head coach of the Ireland Wolfhounds, as well as Ireland’s forwards coach under Declan Kidney as cover for Gert Smal.
July 2014
Assumes the role of Munster head coach on Penney’s departure, leading his province’s coaching team for two seasons until the arrival of Rassie Erasmus as the first director of rugby last July.
