Heineken Cup final: Stephen Ferris goes into battle once more for Ulster against Leinster Ferris, short-listed for European Player of the Year, is not too shabby in that regard, a dodgy knee notwithstanding. The 26 year old has been plagued with knee problems for the last few years, dating as far back even as the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. A knee injury also accounted for Ferris" hopes of playing a starring role on the Lions tour to South Africa. Ferris is effectively playing with one good knee, although he gave Ulster followers a fright when tweaking that during the semi-final win over Edinburgh. "I'm fine, raring to go, that was just a little twist," said Ferris, who is exempt from crash-bang-wallop training sessions as Ulster nurture one of their most precious assets. Ferris is a real force of nature. He has a warrior's mindset to go with his innate talent and strength. Leinster know that to quell Ulster's resistance they have to nullify the threat posed by Ferris who has the competitor's knack of rising to the occasion. He may be used sparingly by Ulster through the season. Saturday will not be one such time. Ferris learnt his rugby at Friends GS in Lisburn but left school before Ulster selectors got wind of him. Once they did, he was straight into the fray, with tales of him setting men much older back on their heels with his pile-driving tackles. For all the column inches devoted to the South African influence in the modern-day set-up at Ravenhill, there is a core of native players such as Ferris and wing, Andrew Trimble, for whom the Ulster cause is very dear. Wing Tommy Bowe felt unable to turn down a lucrative contract from Ospreys but Ferris has never been tempted to accept substantial offers from elsewhere. "If you're happy where you are, why would you want to move?" said Ferris, pinpointing the essence of his nature in so doing. Playing international rugby is important to me as well and this way I get to wear the green as well as the white. For sure, it's been a long journey and for four or five years back there it wasn't great. Ulster have done well to come out of the slump. If there was a match that encapsulated the new-age Ulster, it was the 41-7 defeat of Leicester in the pool stage. "We wanted to send out a statement to European rugby that Ulster were here to compete in the Heineken Cup and trying to win it," said Ferris with evident relish in recollecting the night. We laid down a marker of exactly where we are and of what we're capable. It was the perfect game from us, and that doesn't happen very often. Once more on Saturday would do very nicely.