Ulster Rugby v Glasgow

PAUL MARSHALL: ON RETIREMENT FROM THE PROFESSIONAL GAME

Paul Marshall graduated from the Ulster Academy to a senior contract in 2006, making his debut for the team against Newport Gwent Dragons in November of that season.

A familiar face to the Kingspan Stadium faithful, Marshall went on to amass 204 caps for the Province, but the nimble scrumhalf has decided that the time has now come to bow out of the professional game. “Ulster Rugby has been a massive part of my life and I’m grateful to have been involved with the squad for the last 12 or so years, but I will be sad to leave. It feels like yesterday I trained with the squad for the first time! “I love the club; I love the people involved and I would have loved to have continued playing but for everyone at some point the time comes to move on and seek pastures new and that time has come for me. “I’ve been incredibly proud to represent the people of Ulster and it’s brought great joy for me personally but also to my family and friends. I’m thankful to the players, the staff and the supporters for the memories that I will carry for the rest of my life.” As the challenges experienced by the Ulster squad this season mounted, Marshall was battling his own challenges off the pitch following his son’s cancer diagnosis in August 2017. “It’s been an incredibly difficult year for me and for my family as we have dealt with my son’s illness. At times this year it has been tricky trying to balance

Park. Ulster were training there one day and I took the opportunity to watch a bit of training whenever I was meant to be painting fences. In some ways, this was kind of precious time for me because I was on my own getting to watch Ulster train up close and getting to dream of one day being there and in that position to train alongside these guys. “I had dreamed of playing for Ulster since having watched them in the stands as a 12 or 13-year-old schoolboy, so to be able to do it myself has been something I’m immensely proud of. I’ve lived my schoolboy dream for many years so when I look back in the months and years ahead I will have very fond memories. “I think the thing that will last the most, will be the memories made with the people I’ve worked with or met along the journey. I’ve made great friends connected to rugby and in particular connected to Ulster Rugby. I’ve great friendships in the staff and in the playing group that will continue for many years to come.” The memories which stand out most for Marshall involve the big games with everything to play for. “I think playing in the Heineken Cup Games, when I came off the bench against Leicester and scored the bonus point try - that was a really special moment for me. Starting against the likes of Toulon and Clermont in the big games here have been really enjoyable moments too. “The Heineken Cup semi-final and final are big moments in my mind. Obviously, the final didn’t go our way against Leinster but the build-up to those two games was overwhelming. Being in Dublin for the semi-final and seeing the place absolutely kitted out in red and white and the number of people who came down to support us was unbelievable, it just shows you the multiplier effect – if a team does well it can bring a whole province together with the team. For me those are really special days that I know I’ll always remember.” In November 2017, Marshall joined Roger Wilson, Andrew Trimble, Robbie Diack and Rory Best in the 200 club, coming off the bench

INTERVIEW: PAUL MARSHALL life at home and life in training. My teammates have been a massive encouragement to me and I’m thankful for their support this season. The support our families and close friends have offered is something we can probably never repay. We are very thankful. Sometimes we have circumstances in life that we can’t control and that we wouldn’t choose, but they put the important things in life back into perspective.”

With over a decade of service to Ulster under his belt, Marshall has a host of happy memories to look back on and is content that he could realise his schoolboy dream of playing in that famous white jersey. “Whenever I was in school, I was about 15 or 16, I’d a summer job helping the grounds men out at Pirrie

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