Ferris believes Ireland can mix it with best

STEPHEN FERRIS would be forgiven for washing his hands of media duties this week having been accused, by the controversialist rugby pundit George Hook, of exaggerating his collapse to earth on receipt of a Samoan elbow last Saturday.

The powerful flanker has enough to concern him this week what with the hulking Jerome Kaino expected as his opposite number, while also policing Richie McCaw’s antics on the floor.

Ferris is such a physical creature that a season fails to pass without a bad injury, which is why there are only 22 caps on the Maghaberry mantelpiece. Unavailable last summer due to a knee problem, John Muldoon stepped into the breach in New Zealand only for Connacht’s brave leader to shatter his arm attempting to halt New Zealand number eight Kieran Reid on the gainline.

Ferris’ only experience of tangling with the All Blacks was as a 62nd-minute secondrow replacement for the wounded Paul O’Connell when Ireland touched the lowest rung of Kidney’s tenure to date.

That 22-3 beating at Croke Park two years ago began a steady climb to a Grand Slam four months later. Ireland’s form since has taken another dramatic nosedive as they struggle to cope with new rules but Ferris dismisses any talk of an equally low ebb.

“I think the Ireland team has come a lot further in the past two years. We just need to hold onto the ball and get our set-piece firing, then we are a completely different team.

“New Zealand have come a long way too,” he concedes before we can suggest it. “They are playing some fantastic rugby at the minute. No doubt they will be doing something similar this weekend.”

So, no long faces in camp? “Personally, I’m feeling great,” says Ferris before accentuating the plus points of what has been a dreary November. “We’ve been great as a team over the last couple of years. Everybody has stuck together. We hit the post to draw against South Africa. Gave away an intercept. We weren’t that far away from beating the world champions.

“It was a very difficult game against Samoa. Really difficult conditions. We got back on the winning track. Hopefully we can get another this weekend.”

But does all this external criticism rankle even a little? “I definitely think there has been a lot of negativity. Some of it I don’t think is right. At the end of the day, we got beat by a couple of points by the world champions and it was difficult game against Samoa.

“If you beat Samoa by 50 points, everybody think, ah, you should have beaten them by 60. If we get a win this weekend you will be asking me a question next week, ‘Aw, there is so much positively around the camp?’ That’s the way it goes. It is all about results. If we get the right result it will be completely different coming into Argentina.”

We try to burst his bubble again. Do you really believe you can beat New Zealand? (to quote the questioner: “In your heart of hearts or do you just close your eyes really tight and hope it happens?”).

“We believe we can play them week in, week out and beat them. That’s the spirit of the Irish team. We have proved we are a world class team over the last couple of years.

“We have a few results in the last few months that haven’t gone our way. We just need to beat somebody like New Zealand to show the world we are capable of mixing it with the best.”

One hopes such positive vibes are contagious.

FIXTURES

Friday

November series:Wales v Fiji, Millennium Stadium, 7.30, J Garces (France) – Live on BBC Two.

Magners League:Connacht v Ospreys, Sportsground, 7.0, P Allen (Scotland); Leinster v Dragons, RDS Showgrounds, 7.05, S Penne (Italy) – Live on RTÉ Two.

Saturday

November series:Ireland v New Zealand, Aviva Stadium, 5.30, M Jonker (South Africa) – Live on RTÉ Two/BBC Two; France v Argentina, Montpellier, 7.45, J Kaplan (South Africa); Italy v Australia, Florence, 2.0, C Berdos (France); Scotland v South Africa, Murrayfield, 2.30, S Dickenson (Australia) – Live on BBC One; England v Samoa, Twickenham, 2.30, G Clancy (Ireland) — Live on Sky Sports 1.

Sunday

Magners League:Cardiff Blues v Ulster, Cardiff City Stadium, 3.45, G Clancy (Ireland); Munster v Scarlets, Musgrave Park, 5.35, J Jones (Wales) – Live on TG4.