 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Luke Marshall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.
While 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]
He 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]
Brian Gerard O'Driscoll is an Irish former professional rugby union player. He played at outside centre for the Irish provincial team Leinster and for Ireland. He captained Ireland from 2003 until 2012, and captained the British & Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand. He is regarded by critics as one of the greatest rugby players of all time.
Leinster Rugby is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup.
Daniel Arthur Parks is a professional rugby union coach and former player who played as a fly-half.
Rory David Best is an Irish former rugby union player who was the captain of the Ireland national team from 2016 to 2019. He played hooker for Ulster and was registered for Banbridge RFC. Best earned 124 caps for Ireland, making his debut in 2005 and retiring at the end of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, his fourth World Cup. Best is one of the most capped rugby players of all time, as well as the most-capped forward to represent Ireland.
Donnacha Ryan is an Irish former rugby union player and current coach. Ryan spent most of his career representing his native province Munster, spending 13 seasons at the club, before moving to French club Racing 92 in 2017, where he spent the final four seasons of his playing career before retiring and joining the coaching team at La Rochelle ahead of the 2021–22 season. He played primarily as a lock, but could also play as a flanker.
Darren Cave is a retired professional Irish rugby union player who played centre for Ulster, sharing the province's appearance record with Andrew Trimble and Rob Herring with 229, and won eleven caps for Ireland.
Willie Faloon is a rugby union coach and former player from Northern Ireland. His main position was at flanker and he primarily played at openside. Since 2021, he has been an Elite Performance Development Officer with the Ulster Rugby academy.
Tommy O'Donnell is an Irish former rugby union player, who spent his entire career with his native province of Munster, whilst also earning 13 international caps for Ireland. After retiring in 2021, O'Donnell moved into coaching and joined Munster's academy staff in 2022.
Jason Harris-Wright is a rugby union player from Ireland. He primarily plays as a hooker. Harris-Wright last played professionally for Bristol in the Greene King IPA Championship.
Michael McCarthy is an English-born retired Irish professional rugby union. He played his club rugby for the Irish provincial team Leinster Rugby in the Pro14, having joined from rival Irish team Connacht in 2013. He played in the second row and as a flanker.
Ian Madigan is an Irish former professional rugby union player for Leinster, Bordeaux, Bristol Bears, Ulster and Ireland. His primary position was at fly-half, although he also played at centre and full-back.
Nathan White is a retired rugby union player from New Zealand, who played internationally for Ireland. He played as a prop, primarily at tighthead. White last played for Irish provincial side Connacht in the Pro12, and had previously played for Leinster, another province. Before moving to Ireland, he played Super Rugby for the Chiefs and provincial rugby for Waikato.
Craig Gilroy is an Irish rugby union player who played wing for Ulster, and a former Ireland international. He was Ulster's player of the year in 2014–15, and was named in the Pro12 Dream Team twice.
Dave McSharry is a former professional rugby union player from Ireland. He played primarily as a centre, usually at inside centre. McSharry played for Irish provincial team Connacht in the Pro12 before he was forced to retire in 2016.
Billy Sean Burns is a professional rugby union player who plays for Ulster and Ireland. His favoured position is fly-half. He is the younger brother of England rugby union team fly-half Freddie Burns. Born in England, Burns represented England for youth rugby union teams, before choosing to represent Ireland at the 2020 Six Nations Championship
Robert Anthony Henshaw is an Irish professional rugby union player who plays as a centre for United Rugby Championship club Leinster and the Ireland national team.
John Cooney is an Irish rugby union player who plays scrum-half for Irish provincial side Ulster in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup, having previously played for Leinster and Connacht, and has eleven caps for Ireland. Since joining Ulster in 2017, he has been nominated for EPCR European Player of the Year once, been named in the Pro14 Dream Team four times, and been Ulster's player of the year twice.
Ben Marshall is a retired rugby union player from Ireland. He primarily played as a lock or in the back row. Marshall played for Irish provincial sides Leinster and Connacht in the Pro12, but was forced to retire in 2017 due to a concussion.
Stuart McCloskey is a professional rugby union player from Northern Ireland, who plays as a centre for United Rugby Championship club Ulster and the Ireland national team.
Finlay Harry Bealham is a professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for United Rugby Championship club Connacht. Born in Australia, he represents Ireland at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.