Remembering Stephen Ferris: One of rugby’s biggest ‘what ifs’

Stephen Ferris ragdolls Will Genia in a 2011 World Cup group stage game.

Credit: Dan Sheridan/INPHO

Rugby has a few what-ifs: what if the game had turned professional earlier, what if proper funding was given to smaller nations, and what of Keiren Reid didn’t keep saying “Romain” over and over in a desperate attempt to get the All Blacks a penalty in the third Lions test match in Auckland. 

Not often is a player the subject of a ‘what if’ question but it is certainly true of Irish flanker Stephen Ferris, who was forced to retire at just 28 years old due to a nagging ankle injury. 

He absolutely made the most of his opportunities when he did play however. A huge physical presence in both attack and defence, we unfortunately will never get to see how good Ferris could have been. What we do have however, is the memories he created in his short time at the top.

Early promise

Born in Maghaberry in Northern Ireland, Ferris quickly rose through the ranks at Ulster during the late nougties. With a World U20s tournament under his belt, Ferris quickly rose through the ranks at a talented Ulster team which boasted the likes of Neil Best, David Humphreys and Tommy Bowe. 

A first appearance for Ireland quickly followed in 2006 against the Pacific Nations in the autumn international series. Although he was taken to the 2007 Rugby World Cup, where he was unused reserve in Ireland’s groups stage exit, it was 2009 that he really broke out. 

Ferris was ever-present in Declan Kidney’s 2009 Six Nations team, where Ireland claimed their first Grand Slam since 1948 and his good form earned himself a call up the the 2009 Lions tour as somewhat of an outside pick. 

Quickly Ferris put himself in contention though. Coming off the bench against Golden Lions Ferris showed freakish speed for a flanker with an 80 metre gallop to dot down for the British and Irish Lions final try of the evening.

His athleticism certainly caught the attention of Sir Ian McGeechan who put the young flanker into a starting spot against the Cheetahs the following weekend.

He duly repeated his performance, again capitalising on a spilled ball from a ruck he had earlier disrupted to sprint in from 40 metres without a finger laid on him. A Test spot beckoned for the Ulsterman, but sadly injury would curtail him just three days after the Cheetahs game when he tore his MCL in training. 

Ferris would be on the sidelines for the foreseeable but had shown himself he would be a player to keep an eye on in the future. 

Stepping into the limelight

Although injury kept him out of various Six Nations, Summer Tours and Autumn Internationals between 2009 and 2011 Rugby World Cup, Ferris still established himself as one of the most important player’s in Kidney’s Ireland. 

Probably the first man on the team sheet when fit, Ferris was no longer just a part of a winning team but perhaps their most important part of it as he showed in the now famous group stage victory over Australia during the 2011 World Cup. 

An underwhelming victory against USA days previously disguised Kidney’s shrewd new tactics. To earn themselves turnover ball and a scrum his players would aim to have two or even three of his players tackle the Wallabies high in an attempt the wrap up the ball, while keeping them on their feet. 

Ferris was Kidney’s main man for the ‘choke tackle’ as it became known and he was an absolute wrecking ball in the 15-6 win at Eden Park. At one stage he picked up Will Genia by the waist and powered the diminutive Aussie a good ten metres back to earn a turnover in a scarcely believable feat of strength.

Speaking to thescore.ie after his retirement, Ferris remembers about the now famous tackle: “Another ref might have called it for being offside [from the Wallabies scrum put-in] but it was worth the risk. Eoin Reddan had snipped at Genia a few times so that was the red flag for me to get on him.

“I snapped in and drove him back and the boys came piling in behind me. I can just remember Donncha O’Callaghan shouting ‘Give it to him Fez, give it to him’. Soon after that and I was lying on his back and giving him banter.”

It would prove to be the team's magnum opus. As with so many other disappointing World Cup campaigns, Ireland were dumped out in the quarter-finals to Wales, a result made so stinging due to the fact only France would have stood in the way of a final, and a New Zealand team gripped by failure, had Ireland edged the 22-10 contest.  

Ferris, however continued his good form by being instrumental in Ulster's 2011-12 charge to the Heineken Cup final, which memorably included a 41-7 shellacking of Leicester at Ravenhill and a man of the match performance by the blindside in the quarter-final victory over Munster. 

They would be soundly beaten in the final but Ferris was so talismanic he earned a European Player of the Year nomination, no mean feat considering teammates Francois Pienaar, John Afoa and Johann Muller were not shortlisted for the award. 

At 26 it seemed Ferris had a lot of rugby left to play but sadly, this 2011-2012 would be the last time he shone at the highest level. 

An epilogue

An ankle injury in late 2012 began a long-running saga which would eventually lead to Ferris’ retirement at the end of the 2014 season. It seems a real waste, especially as he surely would have been a key part of Joe Schmidt’s plans had he stayed fit and healthy.

Rather than dwell on ‘what ifs’ however, we should be thankful as rugby fans for what actually did happen. On March 14 2014 Ferris briefly returned from his ankle injury off the bench against Scarlets in a Pro 12 game to a standing ovation, the crowd belting out ‘one Stephen Ferris’ as he came on. It’s almost as if the Ravenhill faithful knew it could be one of the last times they saw him as an Ulster player. 

Ferris appeared to know it as well. Immediately after coming on a Pienaar box kick was launched into the sky in the direction of unfortunate Scarlets scrum-half Gareth Davies.

As Davies touched the ground Ferris smashed him, like he did Genia three years previously, and launched the Wales upstart a good few yards backwards. 

The crowd became absolutely unglued during the tackle. They chant his first name over and over (in the style of ‘Shearer’ if you forgive us for a football reference) at the next break of play. It would not be the permanent return the Ravenhill faithful desired, but they got to see him smash one more bloke before he exited the game for good. 

Now a typically bullish pundit, unafraid to ask questions of his former teammates both at Ulster and Ireland, Ferris is fondly remembered despite a career which only really hit its peak for three years. 

The man himself sums it up best: “I’ve no regrets. There was not a game I ever held back in. That might have worked against me in the end but I wouldn’t change the way I played for anything.”