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Ferris looking for wheel of fortune There were few real
surprises in Eddie O’Sullivan’s World Cup squad.
The Irish coach has long been renowned as a shrewd and conservative operator
so surprise inclusions were guaranteed to be kept to a minimum.
One name that did invoke discussion however was that of Ulster’s
Stephen Ferris. The back-row player is the youngest in the World Cup squad
at 22 and has earned the second least caps at four one ahead of league
convert Brian Carney.
With the back-row the most competitive of positions on the Irish team
over the past few seasons Ferris has leapfrogged such names as Keith Gleeson,
Johnny O’Connor and Jamie Heaslip in the pecking order leaving many
to wonder just how he managed to turn Steady Eddie’s head.
Ferris is a relative novice to professional rugby. He graduated from the
Ulster academy and began playing in the AIL for Dungannon under Jeremy
Davidson’s watchful eye and was quickly fast-tracked into the Ulster
set-up on a development contract in 2005-2006 season.
After making his Ulster debut against the Borders in October 2005 Ferris
became a regular in the Ulster team and was named Ulster’s young
player of the year in his debut season.
The flanker was selected for the under-21 World Cup squad in Argentina
in 2005 before an ankle injury ruled him out.
Last November he made his ‘A’ international debut against
Australia turning in a barnstorming performance before making his senior
bow soon after against the Pacific Islanders at Lansdowne Road.
Two games on Ireland’s tour to Argentina over the summer were followed
by an appearance in the Irish back-row in last week’s World Cup
warm-up game against Scotland.
Four caps and three losses in an Ireland shirt might seem like scant return
but Ferris is a fast learner.
Stephen is considered the prototype modern back-row forward. At 6’4
and over 17 stone he is the fastest forward in Ulster and is up with the
quickest backs in sprint times.
Part of O’Sullivan’s reasoning in taking him along to France
is his versatility in covering all positions across the back-row. He is
most comfortable at No. 6 or No. 8 but can do a job at open-side flanker
if required.
The Dungannon man is sure to get game time in France as O’Sullivan
looks to reshuffle his side against Namibia and Georgia, the weaker teams
in Ireland’s group.
The inevitable questions remain as to whether Ferris is good enough yet
for this grade. The coach obviously thinks the baby of the squad has something
to offer and a couple of injuries over a gruelling schedule could yet
see Ferris pushed into the frontline.
Whatever happens to Ferris during the 2007 World Cup Stephen is a player
for the future of Irish rugby. |
