ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Stephen Ferris crunches Lee Byrne in the Heineken Cup opening round

BY Grant Constable  ·  Monday Nov 21, 2011

Ulster and Ireland loose forward Stephen Ferris had a storming game against Clermont last weekend, including this big hit on Welshman Lee Byrne. Many of you had requested to see it last week, so rather than let it slip through the cracks, here’s a quick look at it.

Ferris picked up an ankle injury during the match but suffered no long term affects. Against Leicester things didn’t go as planned for his side, but he’s confident that Ulster are on the right track and will be competitive in Europe this season.

“It is great to be back in the white shirt and to be involved in Heineken Cup rugby again. We feel we have a good enough team to do as least as well as we did last season and more. The knock-out stages of the Heineken Cup is what you play rugby for,” he said.

“We have made a couple of great signings and since John Afoa has come in our scrum has been rock solid. BJ (Botha) is a great player and I’ve been watching him for Munster but we replaced one World Cup winner with another. Afoa likes to carry the ball and offers something new in attack.”

This solid hit typified a performance that saw him carry well and tackle hard all night, basically terrorising Clermont. At first glance the tackle looks a little suspect, but he seems to make an attemt to grasp Byrne with both arms, and the point of contact appears to be low enough.

Referee Wayne Barnes, who was right on the spot, seemed happy with it anyway, despite a fairly guilty looking quick glance from Ferris after making the hit. What’s your take on it?

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles

  • 66 WEEKS AGO

    Fiji Drua player Lomani slapped with ban...

  • 75 WEEKS AGO

    The sending off that rocked the Six Nations...

  • 76 WEEKS AGO

    Wrecking ball beats 10 players to score full...



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 16 WEEKS AGO

    The Gallagher Premiership is back - A thrilling match at Tottenham

  • 20 WEEKS AGO

    Sensational score at the Stadio Olympico

  • 26 WEEKS AGO

    Flying frenchman scores tremendous try for Toulon

  • 26 WEEKS AGO

    Young England hopeful continues to impress with double against Stade Français

  • 27 WEEKS AGO

    Full throttle Premiership final rematch ends in heartache

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 33 WEEKS AGO

    Wallabies wunderkind Sua'ali' and Scotland captain Tuipulotu clash

  • 34 WEEKS AGO

    Ireland 'steal' Argentina's opening try as debate rages

  • 36 WEEKS AGO

    WATCH: The biggest hit from week one of the Autumn Nations Series

  • 39 WEEKS AGO

    'Cheap shot' from Leicester Tigers vs Northampton Saints causing a stir online

  • 39 WEEKS AGO

    Wild moment leads to all in brawl during Welsh derby between Cardiff and Scarlets

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 21 WEEKS AGO

    'A few nuts and bolts out' - Eden Park streaker sheds boxers to achieve goal

  • 24 WEEKS AGO

    SHOCK results in the PWR keeps top four race thrilling

  • 27 WEEKS AGO

    Santiago Carreras scores a blinder in front of thrilled Kingsholm crowd

  • 28 WEEKS AGO

    Fans in awe as Kildunne finishes off STUNNING team try

  • 31 WEEKS AGO

    Supporters can't believe Saracens Sharp's UNBELIEVABLE finish

View All

Funnies

  • 21 WEEKS AGO

    'A few nuts and bolts out' - Eden Park streaker sheds boxers to achieve goal

  • 27 WEEKS AGO

    Nightmare blunder from Exeter winger as try goes wanting

  • 29 WEEKS AGO

    'A dog with a mallet up its arse could’ve written Johnny’s book' Donnacha O'Callaghan

  • 30 WEEKS AGO

    ‘The knee slide was too much’ - Ben Earl reflects on THAT viral moment

  • 30 WEEKS AGO

    U.S. Army Special Operations Sergeant Major makes big claim about rugby

View All

Amateur

  • 27 WEEKS AGO

    Nightmare blunder from Exeter winger as try goes wanting

  • 27 WEEKS AGO

    Santiago Carreras scores a blinder in front of thrilled Kingsholm crowd

  • 131 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 131 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 154 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

View All

Player Features

  • 22 WEEKS AGO

    The Capuozzo try that jump-started Italy's victory

  • 29 WEEKS AGO

    RugbyDump's top five backrows in 2024

  • 30 WEEKS AGO

    ‘The knee slide was too much’ - Ben Earl reflects on THAT viral moment

  • 31 WEEKS AGO

    Marcus Smith makes big call on his future

  • 34 WEEKS AGO

    'Eligible for England' - Fans react to South African star's contract announcement

View All