“We usually make tackles stick”

HERE’S no need to delve into the DVD collection to sum up what makes Stephen Ferris the player he is. Proof of the Ulster man’s DNA surfaced in what should have been a routine training session in Durban last summer.

It had been a good week for the flanker. It started with a try in the annihilation of the Golden Lions and continued with another touchdown and a man-of-the-match award in the tight win over the Cheetahs.

By then, he had already done enough to nail down the number six jersey for the first test, even though an injury in training at the start of the Lions tour had cost him his place in the opening game against a Royal XV in Rustenburg.