The grief of watching those fall whose time has not yet nearly come is one that you can never begin to understand.
I never got to meet Anthony Foley in person. I watched him from the stands, on the television and ‘knew’ him only in the same sense as many thousands who feel his loss since the weekend.
To live a life in the goldfish bowl of public commentary is always a challenge. His year as Head Coach with Munster was as hard as any of the tackles he made as a player and who knows whether that pressure played a part in his untimely passing.
We often give our human sporting heroes superhuman powers, almost superhero powers. And yet they remain like you and I, ordinary people who live, eat, sleep, worry and occasionally bring a measure of joy to those around them.
Those closest to Anthony Foley will take comfort from the genuine grief and sadness that has been expressed by those who knew him much less well but who felt he played a part in their lives too.
His memory will last for generations in the Munster rugby story he was such a huge part of.
