Ferris targets sweetest scalp

Stephen Ferris disputes the “arrogant” tag so often pegged on England but he will be more than happy if they live up to his opinion of them as “bad losers” at Twickenham on Saturday.

Ferris was named yesterday in an Ireland team to face the auld enemy in London this weekend showing just one change from the side which started the victory over Scotland last Saturday in Dublin. Fellow flanker Sean O’Brien will return to the back row following his recovery from a skin infection on his foot that kept him in hospital for much of last week. O’Brien had been a late withdrawal from the starting XV, replaced by Munster’s Peter O’Mahony, who made a big impression on his first Six Nations start in his third cap. Yet while Ireland enjoyed that victory over the Scots, a similar result this St Patrick’s Day against England will be celebrated much morefervently, Ferris said.

“You ask any team who do they like beating and it’s always the English. Why? I don’t know, it’s something I can’t really put my finger on,” Ferris said with a laugh. “To be honest, they’re a great side at the minute. We’re going to have to bring them through a lot of phases and make sure we keep a hold of the ball. If we’re as clinical as we were against Scotland then hopefully we can get the right result.”

Pressed on why beating England meant so much, the Ulsterman added: “I think I’ve had so many beatings from them growing up at underage level. Every time we played with (the Under-)18s, 19s, 20s whatever, we were always on the receiving end of a thumping. I suppose they come with a bit of a tag of being arrogant and that kind of thing but I’ve been on the Lions Tour in 2009, got to know a few of the lads and I’ve a lot of respect for all of them, I got on well with all of them and actually became good friends with some of them as well.

“No, it’s two good teams going against each other and we’ll have respect for them, but we’re also looking forward to trying to get that result. For me, I think they’re a good side and they’re a team full of winners but when they lose they don’t like it.

“You know they’re bad winners, sorry, bad losers and hopefully they’ll be bad losers on Saturday.”

Ferris is taking nothing for granted though, as Ireland travel to Twickenham to face a home side cock-a-hoop after beating France in Paris last Sunday and improving with every game since caretaker head coach Stuart Lancaster took control in the wake of Martin Johnson’s post-World Cup departure as manager.

Ferris added: “It’s going to be a tough day for us this weekend but one we’re all looking forward to.”

Returning to the theme of perceived English arrogance, Ferris warned against mistaking confidence for that particular deadly sin.

“By the way I haven’t said the English are arrogant,” he said.

“I think it’s confidence too. You see Chris Ashton diving over the line, doing swallow dives or whatever he does, you know, there’s a lot ofconfidence to do that, but, yes, maybe if you did take that out of their game they might not be as good.

“But they’re playing some good stuff at the minute and they’ve every right to be confident going out on to the pitch on Saturday.”

Ireland head coach Declan Kidney endorsed that view of an England outfit that just five months ago, following a World Cup campaign in New Zealand dogged by controversy and poor performances, was considered the laughing stock of world rugby.

“They’ve gone really well, playing really strongly as a unit, they’re playing for one another. That needs to come from within the players and from within the management, so by the looks of it all they’ve done an extremely good job,” Kidney said of the Lancaster regime.

As for his decision to recall O’Brien at O’Mahony’s expense, Kidney said: “I’m not going to write one guy up over another. I thought Peter did very well when he came in the last day and Sean’s a top player as well. Jamie [Heaslip] is playing well, Stephen [Ferris] is playing well. It’s combinations, so who do you start with and who do you finish with. That’s what decided it at the end of the day.”