This is really exciting news for any Ulster or Irish fan, but yet we daren't believe that he can make a full comeback from his terrible injury luck. He has been injured so much and so often for so long that it feels like he is no longer a professional rugby player. But let's not forget, when fully fit he is as good as any back row player in the Northern Hemisphere if not the best... and he is still only 28.
A fully fit Ferris would be a huge addition to the Ulster squad - and with Ireland going so well at the moment how amazing would it be to have both him and Sean O'Brien back in the fold?
I really hope (and am sure he will be) well managed for the remaining years of his career. I think he would be the perfect guy to start on the bench and give him the last 20 minutes of every game to make his impact. When tactical substitutions first came into rugby back in 1996, I remember the Aussies being the first to take full advantage of the new law by keeping Viliami Ofahengaue (Willie O) on the bench and then releasing his immense power onto the field on the 60 minute mark, just as legs were starting to tire and shoulders starting to ache.
I would love to see Ferris used in a similar way. I am sure a fierce competitor like him wants to play every minute of every game but this might just be the best way to prolong his career whilst still being able to affect the result of every game he plays in. The opposition would hate it!
Good luck tomorrow night big man, we all wish you the very best!
Ulster have a Heineken Cup quarter-final against Saracens looming on April 5 and the return of Ferris will mark the end of a frustrating period of rehabilitation for the player. Scrum half Ruan Pienaar said: "I think everyone is excited. We have seen how hard he has worked and I think he is raring to go and I am really excited. Everyone will be cheering him on once he gets back on the pitch."