Reaching 200 Ulster appearances was a special marker for Paul Marshall in more ways than one, in what has been a difficult season so far.
On Friday night at Kingspan Stadium, Marshall became just the fifth Ulster player to represent the Province 200 times, following in the footsteps of Roger Wilson, Andrew Trimble, Robbie Diack and Rory Best.
It was an occasion that he had expected to arrive much sooner, only to receive some bad news in late August.
“The first week of the season my son Luke got diagnosed with a form of cancer, which came completely out of the blue. It’s something that we weren’t expecting obviously, as I’m sure most families don’t.
“For the first part of the season I’ve been away quite a bit because I’ve had to deal with things at home. I’m really thankful to Bryn (Cunningham) and Les (Kiss) and the whole organisation - everyone has been really supportive. It’s ongoing and it will be for another while, but we are just pleased that he’s receiving treatment and we’re really thankful to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. All the medical staff have been absolutely amazing.
“It was his second birthday on Thursday and I got my 200th game for Ulster on Friday so it was a nice couple of days for us as a family.
“My family has sacrificed so much to help me in my career. It’s at times like this that you realise how much your wife does, especially when you’re on away trips and she’s running around after a couple of kids at home. It really puts a different perspective on your family life.
“I guess for me, to be able to play in the games that I have this season, it’s been a bit of a stress reliever from other areas of life. Usually you’re trying to get away from rugby, whereas rugby has probably allowed me to switch off from other things that have been going on.”
However, Marshall was fully switched on to rugby on Friday as his late assist for Andrew Trimble earned a hard-fought win against a resurgent Benetton Rugby, making the evening even more special.
“Both Italian teams have really lifted their game and I think when you see their results – Benetton nearly beat Toulon at home - it tells you just how far they’ve come in the last year or two. It was a tough game. My 100th game was away and my 150th game was away, so it was nice to get my 200th cap at home in front of friends and family and it was even better to mark the occasion with a win.”
The former Methodist College pupil rose through the ranks of the Abbey Insurance Academy to earn a senior Ulster contract in 2006, making his debut in the same season against Newport Gwent Dragons.
“When you start off you definitely dream about getting you’re first game. You get a taste for it and you think I’d love to get 10, 20, 30 games. Then when you get your first big milestone of 100 games your mind wanders and you wonder will you still be playing to push on and try and get 200.”
On the journey to 200 caps, Marshall committed himself to continual learning and it is this focus on improvement which perhaps, in part, explains his longevity at Ulster Rugby.
“I think if you don’t want to keep learning or keep getting better then you stagnate and finish. For me, I’m not the most talented player, I know that. I know that there are a lot of guys naturally more gifted than I am. At school, I realised that if I want to be involved I had to train as hard as I can and that takes attitude.
“I feel like I’ve been blessed to play the game for so long in this environment and I’ve enjoyed it, but I don’t feel like I’m ready for it to end yet and that’s why I’m still working hard and trying to be the best that I can be. I’m just as ambitious as ever.”
The 32-year-old, who has three international caps to his name, had opportunities to move abroad at various stages in his career, but his love for his home Province kept him in Belfast.
“The thing that has always stuck in my mind is would I be as passionate about another club,” he ponders. “I don’t know, maybe I would, maybe I wouldn’t. I guess you don’t know until you go.
“My dream was to play for Ulster and Ireland, not to play rugby for X, Y, or Z. Unfortunately, in terms of the Ireland set-up, nothing ever came of that, but I think if I’d gone away I probably would have been really disappointed on what I was missing out on.
“You make what you think is the best decision for you, your rugby and your family. I think as you get older, you’re not making the decision for yourself but the whole collective.”
On Friday night at Kingspan Stadium, Marshall became just the fifth Ulster player to represent the Province 200 times, following in the footsteps of Roger Wilson, Andrew Trimble, Robbie Diack and Rory Best.
It was an occasion that he had expected to arrive much sooner, only to receive some bad news in late August.
“The first week of the season my son Luke got diagnosed with a form of cancer, which came completely out of the blue. It’s something that we weren’t expecting obviously, as I’m sure most families don’t.
“For the first part of the season I’ve been away quite a bit because I’ve had to deal with things at home. I’m really thankful to Bryn (Cunningham) and Les (Kiss) and the whole organisation - everyone has been really supportive. It’s ongoing and it will be for another while, but we are just pleased that he’s receiving treatment and we’re really thankful to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. All the medical staff have been absolutely amazing.
“It was his second birthday on Thursday and I got my 200th game for Ulster on Friday so it was a nice couple of days for us as a family.
“My family has sacrificed so much to help me in my career. It’s at times like this that you realise how much your wife does, especially when you’re on away trips and she’s running around after a couple of kids at home. It really puts a different perspective on your family life.
“I guess for me, to be able to play in the games that I have this season, it’s been a bit of a stress reliever from other areas of life. Usually you’re trying to get away from rugby, whereas rugby has probably allowed me to switch off from other things that have been going on.”
However, Marshall was fully switched on to rugby on Friday as his late assist for Andrew Trimble earned a hard-fought win against a resurgent Benetton Rugby, making the evening even more special.
“Both Italian teams have really lifted their game and I think when you see their results – Benetton nearly beat Toulon at home - it tells you just how far they’ve come in the last year or two. It was a tough game. My 100th game was away and my 150th game was away, so it was nice to get my 200th cap at home in front of friends and family and it was even better to mark the occasion with a win.”
The former Methodist College pupil rose through the ranks of the Abbey Insurance Academy to earn a senior Ulster contract in 2006, making his debut in the same season against Newport Gwent Dragons.
“When you start off you definitely dream about getting you’re first game. You get a taste for it and you think I’d love to get 10, 20, 30 games. Then when you get your first big milestone of 100 games your mind wanders and you wonder will you still be playing to push on and try and get 200.”
On the journey to 200 caps, Marshall committed himself to continual learning and it is this focus on improvement which perhaps, in part, explains his longevity at Ulster Rugby.
“I think if you don’t want to keep learning or keep getting better then you stagnate and finish. For me, I’m not the most talented player, I know that. I know that there are a lot of guys naturally more gifted than I am. At school, I realised that if I want to be involved I had to train as hard as I can and that takes attitude.
“I feel like I’ve been blessed to play the game for so long in this environment and I’ve enjoyed it, but I don’t feel like I’m ready for it to end yet and that’s why I’m still working hard and trying to be the best that I can be. I’m just as ambitious as ever.”
The 32-year-old, who has three international caps to his name, had opportunities to move abroad at various stages in his career, but his love for his home Province kept him in Belfast.
“The thing that has always stuck in my mind is would I be as passionate about another club,” he ponders. “I don’t know, maybe I would, maybe I wouldn’t. I guess you don’t know until you go.
“My dream was to play for Ulster and Ireland, not to play rugby for X, Y, or Z. Unfortunately, in terms of the Ireland set-up, nothing ever came of that, but I think if I’d gone away I probably would have been really disappointed on what I was missing out on.
“You make what you think is the best decision for you, your rugby and your family. I think as you get older, you’re not making the decision for yourself but the whole collective.”