We can all breathe a heavy sigh of relief after Stephen Ferris was spared a potential ban for a tackle on Wales’ Ian Evans on Sunday.
The fact that Bradley Davies was hit with a seven-week suspension that will rule him out of the entire Six Nations sparked fears that Ferris was in for similar punishment, but the IRB have seen sense and cleared him of any wrongdoing, ruling that he has no case to answer for.
Sure the tackle was a tad ill-advised and particularly costly as it led to the winning Welsh penalty, but it was certainly lacking the malice of Davies’ assault on Donnacha Ryan.
The Ulster flanker is now free to face France on Saturday evening and it is a blessing that he is, for after a flat performance against our Celtic cousins last weekend we need every available body in a city where we have won only once in donkey’s years.
The man himself tweeted his relief a short time ago, saying: “Thank goodness that is all over. Happy man.” As are we Stephen, as are we.
Granted, we might be thinking that justice was done in both cases, but take another look at the tackles from both Davies and Ferris below and judge for yourself.
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