Former Ireland captain and Munster Rugby coach Anthony Foley passed away suddenly in the team’s Paris hotel on Saturday night, the night before Munster were to play Racing 92, in a European Champions Cup tie.

Foley (42) died of a suspected heart attack and was found dead in his hotel room. It is reported by the Mail on Sunday that Foley, known as Axel, shared a quiet drink with his colleagues before retiring early to bed. He was pronounced dead at the scene after he failed to attend an early morning meeting.

As a mark of respect the Sunday game was rescheduled and Munster fans gathered at the stadium, Stade Yves du Manoir, to hold an impromptu vigil for the rugby hero.

Foley captained the Ireland rugby team three times during a 62-cap career and skippered Munster to Heineken Cup glory in 2006, over Biarritz in Cardiff. Back-rower Foley made a try-scoring international debut against England in the 1995 Six Nations and from 2000 to 2005 that he became established as a key figure in Ireland’s team.

In 2008 he retired leaving Munster as the club’s most-capped player with 194 appearances for the provincial side.

Foley is survived by his wife Olive and his two children. Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs have confirmed that they are providing consular assistance through Ireland’s Embassy in Paris.

Former Irish captain and teammate Ronan O’Gara, who is now a coach at Racing 92, spoke of the loss of an “incredible man.” O’Gara and Foley were long time team mates and won two Heineken Cups and a Celtic League with Munster and a Triple Crown with Munster in 2004.

He tweeted:

Former Ireland coach Donal Lenihan spoke of the “shock and horror” of Foley’s death and said he was a man “destined to play rugby.”

Eddie O’Sullivan who coached Foley, on the Ireland team, told Off the Ball “What he brought was a phenomenal rugby brain to the game. It wasn’t just his ability to play. He had a great skill set… He knew that nuance that keeps teams on track and steers them to victory.”

He added “I’ve no doubt in my mind, that he was going to take on Munster again a few years down the track… He was going to coach Ireland, I’ve no doubt about that. From a rugby point of view, it’s a dreadful loss to Irish rugby.”