Ireland head to Cardiff for the climax of the championship needing victory over Wales to claim only their second Grand Slam and a first title for 24 years.

Defending Grand Slam champions Wales need to win by 13 points or more to wrest the title from Ireland's grasp.

"A Grand Slam is something I've dreamt of so to be in this position is special," said Ferris. "These opportunities definitely don't come around that often and the amount of hard work that has been put in is unbelievable.

"We're playing good rugby in patches and if we can bring that to Wales and add in some extra bits we can hopefully win the game."

Ferris, whose muscular presence in the back row has been a crucial component of Ireland's success in this year's RBS 6 Nations, admits it would be heartbreaking for the team to fall at the final hurdle.

"We just need to keep working on what we have been doing for the last four or five weeks," he said.

"There has been so much put into this that to let it all slip on Saturday would be very disappointing. We must keep going.

"We played some good rugby in patches. Hopefully we can add to that and bring it to Wales."

One of most pressing concerns for Ireland will be to manage expectation levels which have been cranked up to unprecedented heights after dispatching the Scots.

Head coach Declan Kidney has urged his players to enjoy their time in the spotlight but Ferris will be seeking to fade into the background over the coming days.

"Obviously the pressure is going to build," said the Ulster flanker. "I'll try to distance myself as much as possible from all the hype, get myself focused and prepare mentally and physically for what is going to be a massive encounter.

"We've got a great hotel in Killiney. It's a bit out of the road. My girlfriend came down yesterday just to get away from rugby for a few hours.

"I'll have a quiet time, a bit of me time over the next couple of days as well as more hard work, which should keep the momentum going."