Bernard Foley

Bernard Foley (born 8 September 1989) is an Australian rugby player of Irish descent.

He plays professionally for the Australia national rugby team and the New South Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby.

He can cover both fullback and fly-half as well as inside centre.

Foley began his career in sevens in 2009.

In his early years Foley played rugby sevens for Australia and competed at the 2010 Commonwealth Games where he received a silver medal in the final of the rugby sevens tournament for his services for the team that took place in Delhi, India.

He was a silver medallist with the Australian sevens team at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and went on to captain the team on the 2010–11 IRB Sevens World Series circuit.

The Waratahs finished 2nd in the Australian conference, 6th in the Australasian conference and 10th overall.

He has played for the Australian Super Rugby franchise the New South Wales Waratahs since 2011 and Australia since 2013.

He was awarded the Sydney University Male Blue of the Year in 2011.

He was also named the 2011 Australian Sevens Player of the Year.

Foley has played for the amateur club team Sydney University since 2012, who compete annually in the state-based competition the Shute Shield.

Foley has earned the nickname "the iceman" after successful game winning penalty goals, 2 August 2014, 18 October 2015.

Foley has had a vast amount of experience in rugby and played at a variety of differing teams and competitions both domestically and internationally.

Foley was the first choice fly-half during the 2014 Waratahs season, having cemented his position in the 2012–13 seasons, and only having to compete with two new players, 19-year-old Dave Horwitz, 23-year-old Ben Volavola and edging out former number one fly-half, Kurtley Beale.

Foley opened his 2014 campaign off in round 2 – round 1 was played by the South African conference – by kicking five conversions and one penalty for a combined score of thirteen points.

Helping the Waratahs to a smooth six-try bonus point victory (43–21) over the Perth-based Western Force at Allianz Stadium, Sydney.

On the following Saturday, 1 March 2014, Foley played at home against conference rivals, the Queensland Reds.

Kicking three conversions and two penalties (12 points), with the Waratahs having won two from two Australian Conference games both at home.

Between rounds 5 and 11 Foley scored one try, ten conversions, and sixteen penalty goals (73 points) against the Brumbies, Rebels, Sharks, Stormers, Force, Bulls and the Blues.

After eleven rounds the Waratahs were 5–4, with Bernard Foley scoring a total of 98 points.

Following the balanced win loss ratio the Waratahs had before 12, the Waratahs finished the remaining seven games of the regular season unbeaten, with Foley scoring 110 points.

On 26 July 2014, the Waratahs played the Brumbies at Allianz Stadium, Sydney, in the Semi-final.

Foley kicked one conversion and three penalty goals (11 points), and the Waratahs ran out 26 to 8 winners to host their first ever Super Rugby final.

On 2 August 2014, the Waratahs played New Zealand team the Crusaders.

In the seventy-ninth minute of the 2014 Super Rugby Final, Foley kicked a 45-metre penalty goal to win the game 33–32 in front of 61,823.

Bernard Foley scored a total of 252 points in the 2014 Super Rugby season.

During the 2015–16 Japanese Top League season, after his successful season with the Waratahs just a season beforehand, Foley played for Tokyo-based club Ricoh Black Rams.

And recently is playing club rugby in the National Rugby Championship for the New South Wales Country Eagles.

2015 was an unsuccessful season compared with 2014.

However, Foley managed five tries in 2015 one short of his successive six the season prior.

Foley scored a total of 187 points with the Waratahs winning the Australian conference before going down to the Highlanders in the Semi-finals.

In July 2015, Foley signed a three-year flexible contract with the Australian Rugby Union, becoming the first player to sign such a deal.

The contract enabled him to play two seasons of rugby in Japans Top League, whilst remaining eligible to represent Australia.

The 2016 season was another unsuccessful season for both Foley and the Waratahs.

Foley only registered 1 try, 15 penalty goals and 35 conversions (120 points).

The Waratahs finished second last (4th) in the Australian conference, 9th in the Australasian conference, and 16th overall with only the Japanese team the Sunwolves and the Rebels finishing with less points.

2017 was one of the most unsuccessful seasons in Australian Super Rugby history, which also took a toll on both Foley's success on the field and the New South Wales Waratahs.

Foley managed to score 3 tries, 12 penalty goals and 31 conversions (113 points) in 2017.

Foley had an exciting 2018 season following two very disappointing years in 2016 and 2017.

Foley played a fundamental role for the Waratahs in 2018, similar to his role in the Waratahs' 2014 campaign.