Stephen Ferris: Ireland must not run into more English brick walls

Rival fans Stephen Ferris and England supporter Lily Magenis take part in Heineken Ireland’s ‘The Perfect Match’ campaign.

Stephen Ferris has urged Ireland to keep evolving their attacking style against England today or risk suffering a fifth successive defeat to Eddie Jones’s men.

The former Ireland back-rower and Grand Slam winner has been encouraged by the gradual improvement made in recent weeks by Andy Farrell’s new-look team and thinks they can give the World Cup finalists a fright in this afternoon’s Guinness Six Nations finale at Aviva Stadium. But Ferris has warned Ireland not to repeat the mistakes of the past by continuing to run into English brick walls or sending up inaccurate high balls, tactics that have returned only misery in four straight losses.

“I think what Ireland have shown us over the last couple of weeks is that they’ve started to get a small bit of confidence back into the team,” Ferris told the Irish Examiner as he helped launch Heineken Ireland’s ‘The Perfect Match’ campaign. “They’ve improved in certain areas of their play, one of those being the lineout on both sides of the ball in attack and defence, which has been very disruptive.

“But I think if you’re going to ask the genuine question of, you know, our up and unders around the 10-metre line hoping their full-back is going to make a mistake, is that the gameplan week in, week out at international level that’s going to win you a World Cup in a couple of years’ time? That’s probably not going to happen.

“There needs to be more accuracy, certainly more accuracy in Ireland’s attack. More or less since the Grand Slam win in 2018, Ireland players have just been running into brick wall after brick wall and England have just ate them up, chewed them and spat them out. So hopefully we’re going to see something a little bit different this weekend because if we do come with that similar gameplan, of those one-out runners, crashing Robbie Henshaw up the middle they could be on the end of another English defeat.

“But hopefully we can keep evolving. I think there were only three linebreaks against Scotland, only a couple of offloads as well and that attacking side of our game certainly is an area that we’ve got to keep improving on.”

Ferris is expecting a close-run contest and has been impressed with how England have improved discipline within their ranks to get back on the winning track against France following losses to Scotland and Wales.

“England are coming over here favourites by the bookies, only a couple of points in it for them so I expect it to be a very tight match. The games that Ireland have won have been within a score so I have a feeling it’s going to be very, very tight.

“It’s going to be small margins once again and let’s talk about discipline because if England can keep a similar discipline to what it was against France and banish those demons that were there for the Wales game it’s going to be very, very tough for Ireland.

“But Ireland have definitely got a fighting chance here. They’re a team playing with a bit more confidence and could give this England team a big fright.”