Kearney confident Ferris will be free to play

The Ireland team management reacted with predictable surprise to news of Stephen Ferris’ citing yesterday but have expressed their confidence that the flanker will still be available to face France in Paris on Saturday.

However, at least one photograph shows Ferris in the process of tackling Wales lock Ian Evans whose two feet are clearly off the ground and, with tip tackles such a hot potato since the Rugby World Cup, it may pay toexpect the worst.

“It is always a worry,” said manager Mick Kearney when that last point was put to him at team HQ in Carton House yesterday, “but we have to let due process run it’s course. It isprobably unfair to comment any further at this stage.”

Under IRB regulations, the player could face anything from three to six to 10 weeks on the sidelines if found guilty and, though it would probably be the shortest of those periods, such a term would still rule him out of this weekend’s game in Paris and the home tie with Italy.

If it is found that he actually has a case to answer, of course.

Ferris will discover his fate today – as will Wales’ Bradley Davies for his tackle on Donncha Ryan — when he attends a disciplinary hearing accompanied by the team manager who is hoping that previous goodbehaviour will stand to the player.

“He has an exemplary disciplinary record,” said Kearney who also confirmed Keith Earls’ return to camp and the lack of any fresh injury concerns. “He has played 31 times for Ireland and never received as much as a yellow card (before).

Ferris had been sinbinned four times prior to the weekend, once for the British and Irish Lions when he got caught loitering on the wrong side of a ruck after making a tackle against the Free State Cheetahs. The other three were all received on Ulster duty: against Connacht in April 2008, against the Ospreys five months later and, finally, the most recent being a caution picked up against Edinburgh in January 2010.

Wayne Barnes’ decision to award the penalty and follow it with a card has already been debated endlessly in the days since although Declan Kidneydecided against delving into theintricacies of the incident in the post-match press conference.

Kearney and assistant coach Mark Tainton attempted to follow suit yesterday but the issue has clearly rankled and both men went on to speak at some length about a decision which already threatens to be pivotal to Ireland’s tournament ambitions.

“The view that I would have is that it wasn’t a foul,” said Kearney who at the time of speaking had not seen the pictures showing both of Evans’ feet off the Aviva turf. “I have looked at the (TV) footage again. Stephen certainly didn’t drive the player up and take both feet off the ground and I don’t think the player was ever horizontal.”

Shane Jennings had already been released back to Leinster by the time news of Ferris’ citing arrived onMonday night and it was confirmed yesterday that neither he nor anyone else has been parachuted in as cover for the rest of the week.

That leaves Munster’s Peter O’Mahony in line to make his senior debut if the outcome is unfavourable today although Tainton insisted Ireland were preparing under the assumption Ferris will be togging out.