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"We were told in a huddle on the pitch that our friend John McCall had passed away" - Stephen Ferris looks back on some career defining moments

To launch his new book, former Ulster flanker Stephen Ferris joined Ger earlier in the week ...



"We were told in a huddle...
Rugby

"We were told in a huddle on the pitch that our friend John McCall had passed away" - Stephen Ferris looks back on some career defining moments

To launch his new book, former Ulster flanker Stephen Ferris joined Ger earlier in the week to look back on some of his most career defining moments.

In a very personal account of his life, Ferris includes talks about tragedy within his own family, as well as his career as a whole in the green of Ireland and the red and white of Ulster.

He recounts the night a friend and teammate of his, John McCall suffered cardiac arrest during a match and tragically passed away.

"A ball came over the top of the line-out and the jumpers missed it and I caught it at the back" he explained.

"I turned and drove into the defense with John behind me, he was there if I needed anything. We went in and a couple of phases went by before I turned around to see John on the ground."

Initially, he assumed it was a more serious injury rather than just a knock or an impact injury.

"I was thinking he must be knocked out or have a broken leg or something, because he just wasn't getting up. At half-time we were sitting in the changing room and the forwards coach Alan Clarke said: 'Your friend John McCall is fighting for his life in there'.

"We went out in the second half and got hockeyed and on the pitch after the game, they announced to us in a huddle that our friend had passed away."

Leinster team observe a minutes silence in memory of John McCall in 2004 before a game against the Glasgow Warriors. Image Credit:© INPHO/Billy Stickland

You can catch the full interview in the podcast below.

 

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