Former Ireland international Keith Wood struggled to keep his emotions in check this morning as he discussed the sudden death of his close friend and former teammate Anthony Foley.

Keith Wood is now speaking to us about his memories of Anthony Foley, a friend of his since early childhood #pknt pic.twitter.com/y5qPrCpcGk

— Pat Kenny Newstalk (@PatKennyNT) October 17, 2016

Wood was speaking to Pat Kenny on Newstalk and said he was struggling to process the news that Foley had died in Paris, age 42.

“It didn’t make any sense yesterday,” he said. “It doesn’t make any sense today. It’s just unbelievably disturbing.”

"It's just wrong. It just doesn't make any sense ... it brings the sense of mortality very close," Keith Wood #pknt

— Pat Kenny Newstalk (@PatKennyNT) October 17, 2016

"The fact we're talking about him in the past tense is unbelievably surreal" Keith Wood #pknt

— Pat Kenny Newstalk (@PatKennyNT) October 17, 2016

With just two years between them and a love of sport in common, Wood and Foley were friends from a young age in Killaloe.

“I knew him since he was five of six years of age. The Foley family moved to Killaloe. They were redoing a pub at the end of our street. The whole Foley family moved into our house for about three months.”

He added: “He was a man who loved sport. He was shy, but sociable. Driven beyond all belief from as early an age as I remember.”

Although Wood said it felt odd to talk of rugby at such a dark time, he praised the intensity and intelligence his friend had brought to the game.

“He was never the fittest or fastest guy, but he was the smartest guy I played on a field with. He was invariably wherever the ball was.

“He didn’t speak a huge amount, but everything he said was perfect.”

You can listen to the full interview here, Kenny also spoke to pundit Brent Pope and former player Shane Byrne.

We are now speaking with Brent Pope and Shane Byrne about their memories of Anthony Foley #pknt

— Pat Kenny Newstalk (@PatKennyNT) October 17, 2016