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.
Nice touch by @Munsterrugby ten Tyler Bleyendaal, who brought his first MOTM award out to Foley family in Killaloe and presented it to them.
— Tony Leen (@tonyleen) October 24, 2016
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.
“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.”