Luke Marshall (born 3 March 1991) is an Irish former rugby union player, who played centre for Ulster, and won 11 caps for Ireland, the last coming in 2017.
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| Birth name | Luke Marshall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 3 March 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ballymena, Northern Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 92 kg (14 st 7 lb; 203 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Ballymena Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ulster Rugby
editWhile in the Ulster academy, he played in an exhibition match between an Ulster-Leinster team against a Munster-Connacht team that opened the Aviva Stadium in August 2010.[2] In the 2010–11 season, he made seven appearances, including three starts, and scored a try. The following season he made seven more appearances, including two starts and scored one try. In 2012–13 he made 18 appearances, including 10 starts, and made his debut in the Heineken Cup.[1] He played in a non-cap Ireland XV that defeated Fiji 53–0 in November 2012.[3] He was named 2012–13 Pro12 Young Player of the Season,[4] and in the Pro12 Dream Team.[5] In 2013–14 he made 26 appearances for Ulster, including 24 starts, and scored six tries.[1] He missed much of the 2014–15 season, suffering a knee injury in October 2014[6] and a concussion in January 2015,[7] and being suspended for five matches after being cited for kicking an opponent in March 2015.[8] In 2015–16 he made 21 appearances, including 20 starts, and scored four tries.[1] In 2016–17 he made 22 appearances, including 19 starts, and scored seven tries,[1] with 30 defenders beaten, 155 tackles and 10 turnovers won.[9] He made his 100th appearance for the province in April 2017.[10] In 2017–18 he made 16 appearances, including 12 starts,[1] six turnovers and three try assists,[11] but suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in May 2018 that kept him out for most of the 2018–19 season.[12] In 2019–20 he made 16 appearances, all starts, and scored three tries.[1] A knee injury sustained in November 2020 that kept him out for almost 18 months. He returned to action in March 2022.[13]
In April 2024 Marshall announced that he would retire from professional rugby at the end of the season after a 15 year career.[14] He was named Uster's personality the year for the 2023-24 season in the 2024 Ulster Rugby Awards.[15]
Ireland
editHe played for Ireland at under-20 level in the 2011 Six Nations Under 20s Championship and the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship. He won his first senior international cap on 24 February 2013, starting in the defeat against Scotland in the 2013 Six Nations Championship.[16] He played for Ireland against Australia in November 2013, in two matches in the 2014 Six Nations Championship, and against Argentina in June 2014.[17] He played twice in Ireland's tour of South Africa in June 2016.[17] He appeared for Ireland against Canada in November 2016, and against the USA and Japan in June 2017.[17]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Playing statistics at ItsRugby.co.uk
- ^ "Leinster/Ulster cut loose as Aviva opens in spectacular try fest", Irish Examiner, 2 August 2010
- ^ Beatrice Asprey, "Ireland XV 53-0 Fiji: The Verdict", Rugby World, 19 November 2012
- ^ "Nick Williams named PRO12 Player of the Year", RTÉ Sport, 6 May 2013
- ^ "Provincial Trio Make PRO12 Dream Team", Irish Rugby, 3 May 2013
- ^ "Luke Marshall Returns To Ulster Team", Irish Rugby, 12 December 2014
- ^ Steve O'Rourke, "Luke Marshall set for another spell on the sidelines following fifth concussion", Yahoo! News, 13 January 2015
- ^ "Blow for Ulster as Luke Marshall given five-week suspension, one for Wilson", The 42, 5 March 2015
- ^ Ulster Rugby: Who did what 2016 – 2017, The Front Row Union, 17 May 2017
- ^ Johnny Morton, "Ulster Rugby centre Luke Marshall pushing for silverware after bringing up 100th cap", Belfast Live, 7 April 2017
- ^ Ulster Rugby: Who did what 2017-18, The Front Row Union, 25 June 2018
- ^ "Marshall makes an impression on "bittersweet" return", Ulster Rugby, 1 April 2019
- ^ Orla Bannon, "Luke Marshall in line for first Ulster appearance in 18 months", Irish Examiner, 25 March 2022
- ^ "Ulster centre confirms retirement after 15 seasons at Ravenhill". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ "2023-24 Heineken Ulster Rugby Awards | Winners", Ulster Rugby, 12 June 2024
- ^ "Six Nations: Scotland beat Ireland in Murrayfield turnaround". BBC Sport. 24 February 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
- ^ a b c International playing statistics at ItsRugby.co.uk