Paul Marshall will make his 150th appearance for Ulster when he lines out against Edinburgh on Friday evening (BT Murrayfield, 7.45pm).

The 30-year-old scrumhalf, who made his senior debut against Newport Gwent Dragons in September 2006, will again be partnered at half back by the versatile Peter Nelson.

Luke Marshall has been ruled out with a thumb injury, so Sammy Arnold will start the game at outside centre in what will be just his second competitive start for Ulster. Stuart McCloskey, who has impressed in the opening games of the season, will continue in the inside centre berth.

Andrew Trimble and Louis Ludik will continue in the back three along with Craig Gilroy, who signed a contract extension this week.

Up front, the experienced trio of Callum Black, Franco van der Merwe and Nick Williams return to bolster the Ulster pack. Captain, Rob Herring, Wiehahn Herbst and Dan Tuohy retain their positions in the tight five.

With Williams packing down at number 8, Roger Wilson switches to blindside flanker, while Sean Reidy will continue in the 7 jersey. Robbie Diack was unavailable for selection after picking up a thigh injury playing for Ulster A last weekend.

Ian Humphreys could play his first competitive match of the season after returning from a hamstring injury to take his place on the bench. David Shanahan and Rory Scholes provide additional cover in the backline, while Neil Doak has also included John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, Bronson Ross, Lewis Stevenson and Willie Faloon in his match-day squad.

Reflecting on his Ulster career to date, Marshall said: “The appearances have racked up pretty quickly over the past few years so it will be really nice to get my 150th cap this weekend. When you’re a schoolboy you dream of playing for Ulster and to have done that on so many occasions is a real privilege. I’ve been involved in some really big games and they’ve always been fantastic, especially at home with our support and the atmosphere that they generate.

“It’s nice to hit different milestones and when I finish playing I’ll look back on some of the big occasions and take great pride in them. But for now I will just be looking forward to cap number 151, 152… and that will be the way it goes until my career ends.”

The match will be televised live on Sky Sports.

Ulster team & replacements to play Edinburgh, Guinness PRO12, BT Murrayfield, Friday 16th October (19:45 kick off):
(15-9): Louis Ludik; Craig Gilroy, Sammy Arnold, Stuart McCloskey, Andrew Trimble; Peter Nelson, Paul Marshall; (1-8): Callum Black, Rob Herring (captain), Wiehahn Herbst, Dan Tuohy, Franco van der Merwe, Roger Wilson, Sean Reidy, Nick Williams;
Replacements (16-23): John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, Bronson Ross, Lewis Stevenson, Willie Faloon, David Shanahan, Ian Humphreys, Rory Scholes.

Marshall to win his 150th cap for Ulster

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