IN A WAY, Luke Marshall’s appearance at the Aviva Stadium this Saturday will mark the completion of a journey.

The Ulster centre starred in the first ever game to be played at the redeveloped venue, when an amalgam of Ulster and Leinster academies thrashed their counterparts from Munster and Connacht.

Before Marshall, 21, made his debut in the watershed defeat in Murrayfield; backs coach Les Kiss was harking back to that day as one where the number 10 turned centre showed the potential to play at the highest level.

For most, the only question arising from his debut 11 days ago was; ‘why hasn’t be been in the team before?’

“It’s good to get the first cap out of the road in some ways,” the Ballymena man told IRFU TV after the team was announced.

“It’s still pretty surreal. I was talking to my dad about it; I had Brian (O’Driscoll) outside me and ROG at 10. It was pretty special looking back on it. It was a great experience.”

True, it’s an experience that will likely never be repeated for Marshall who says it was ‘special’ to make his debut alongside his former Schools Cup foe and current team-mate, Paddy Jackson. The duo will now win their second caps as a unit with Jackson declared fit to face France.

You can see the full interview with Marshall at Carton House below.

YouTube credit: IrishRugbyTVOfficial

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