Despite the disappointing nature of Friday’s defeat for Ireland ‘A’ against England Saxons, Ulster back rower Stephen Ferris still took a lot of positives from the clash at Ravenhill.
Ferris, 21, was delighted to be back playing for his country, having just returned from time out with a thumb injury.
He returned from the sidelines last month – playing for Ulster against Toulouse and making a try-scoring return to Magners League action against the Ospreys. One of the ‘A’ team’s better performers against the Saxons, he was watched closely by Eddie O’Sullivan and Niall O’Donovan in Belfast.
Ferris showed signs of a return to his ‘hard-hitting’ best – particularly with a strong tackle on Chris Jones in the opening skirmishes. He said after the 32-5 defeat: “It was a very quick game – the lads are punctured in there (in the dressing room).
“We only had one training session as a squad in the lead-up to this game, but I thought we did well. It was a good first half performance – we did a lot of good things, but it’s a pity we just couldn’t see it through.”
The Irish ‘A’ side leaked three tries after the break and Ferris paid tribute to the Saxons’s strength afterwards.
“They’re a good side, you’d have to give them that bit of respect. They’ve come over here and done a job on us. We needed to be a bit more organised and that showed in the final score.”
Ferris has plenty to look forward to during the remainder of the season, with Ulster still going strong in the Magners League, the Ireland ‘A’ side in action in May’s Churchill Cup and the senior squad’s tour to Argentina, World Cup warm-up schedule and the tournament itself in September.
Admitting it was “magnificent to wear an Irish jersey again”, he added: “From a personal point of view, it was good to be back in the mix again and hopefully I can get back into contention for a call-up to the senior squad.”
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