Ferris: Scots still 'a force'

Ireland backrow forward Stephen Ferris believes Scotland are still a force to be reckoned with ahead of their Six Nations clash at Croke Park on Saturday.

The Ulster man reflected on Ireland's superb defensive performance against the Welsh last weekend and he believes Ireland need a similar performance against the Scots.

Ferris said: "The Scots will be a big challenge for us, they run hard and we will just have to keep knocking them back."

"They are still a force, they are a very hard team to beat.

"They have shown this year that they can play a good bit of rugby."

The forward also reflected his captain Brian O'Driscoll's comments about having to adapt to the new interpretation of the breakdown by referees.

"Last week we were getting refereed differently, but you just have to adjust to what the referees are doing. We'll get it right for the next game."