Monday, October 24, 2016

Munster out-half Tyler Bleyendaal has given his man-of-the-match award to Anthony Foley’s family after Saturday’s spine-tingling win over Glasgow.

Bleyendaal directed an emotionally-charged performance at Thomond Park as the province recalled the golden era that Foley was such a significant part of as they blitzed through a highly-fancied Warriors team.

The New Zealander brought his award out to Foley home in Killaloe and presented it to them in memory of his former head coach.

Bleyendaal suffered a serious neck injury after agreeing to move to Munster in 2014, but Foley was a strong advocate of the province’s responsibilities to the player.

“We as a club need to look after the player and it’s not a piece of meat we are dealing with,” Foley said two years ago.


Munster scrum coach Jerry Flannery, centre, flanked by players Peter McCabe and man of the match Tyler Bleyendaal as they sing ‘Stand Up And Fight’ on the pitch at Thomond Park. Photo by Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile

“It’s a human being, so there is a human side to this that we need to manage, and that is what Munster is about, it’s about the people.

“If a player has committed to us in terms of contract we need to make sure we are looking after this player as well.”

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