Justin Warren Marshall (born 5 August 1973) is a New Zealand former

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player. He played 81 games for the New Zealand

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

between 1995 and 2005. Marshall played for the in the

Super 12 Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

from 1996 to 2005, winning the competition five times. He subsequently moved to Europe and had spells playing for

Leeds Tykes Leeds Tykes (formerly Leeds RUFC, Leeds Carnegie and Yorkshire Carnegie) is an English rugby union club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the National League 1. The club was founded as Headingley FC, but renamed in 1991 when it j ...

, the Ospreys,

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

and

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

. He is now a Sky Sports commentator in New Zealand for most All Blacks games and other provincial matches.

Early life

He was born in

Gore Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manitouli ...

on 5 August 1973 and educated at

Gore High School Gore High School is one of two secondary schools in Gore, New Zealand, the other being St Peter's College, Gore. It is located on Coutts Road in the west of Gore. Notable staff *Johnny Borland – high jumper, athletics official *George Jobbern ...

, before settling in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

where he played for the High School Old Boys club.

Playing career

Marshall began his rugby union career with

Southland Southland may refer to: Places Canada * Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia New Zealand * Southland Region, a region of New Zealand * Southland County, a former New Zealand county * Southland District, part of the wider Southland Re ...

and was then asked to join Christchurch by Canterbury coach Vance Stewart. It was whilst here that Marshall first made the break into the

side for the 1995 tour of Italy and France. Marshall was just 22 when he made his début against in a 37–12 win. In 1997 Marshall was made captain of New Zealand and led out his team in four tests in Great Britain and Ireland, becoming the All Blacks' 54th test captain. In moving to Europe, Marshall retired from international rugby with the All Blacks in 2005. He made 81 appearances for the All Blacks, with a record of 61 wins, 1 draw and just 19 defeats. Marshall is the second, behind Aaron Smith, highest capped scrum half in All Blacks history. He has scored a record 24 test tries for New Zealand, a tally that more than doubles the next best for an All Blacks scrum half, held by Sid Going. Marshall played for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

in the

National Provincial Championship The National Provincial Championship may refer to: * National Provincial Championship (1976–2005), original competition before reform into 14 sides * National Provincial Championship (2006–present) The National Provincial Championship, o ...

, the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

in the

competition. His New Zealand contract ran out after the 2005 Lions tour, and he signed to play the 2005–06 season for

in the

English Premiership The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

. Following the relegation of Leeds from the Premiership, Marshall left the club at the end of the season. On 25 April 2006 it was announced he had signed for the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

regional side Ospreys on a two-year contract beginning in September 2006. Before signing for Ospreys, Marshall indicated an interest in returning to New Zealand to once again be an All Black and play in the World Cup, even being prepared to play for

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

. On 16 July 2008 Ospreys announced that Marshall had been released from his contract early, and he signed for

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...

side

. On 15 January 2009 he signed for

on a contract to the end of the 2008–09 season. Throughout the 2009–10 season, whilst continuing to play for Saracens, Marshall was a

pundit A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport). Origins The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...

and commentator on

BBC Wales BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales. It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales is ...

rugby programme ''

Scrum V ''Scrum V'' (pronounced ''Scrum Five'') is the brand used by BBC Cymru Wales for its rugby union programming. The brand extends to BBC Wales' live coverage, ''Scrum V Live'', highlights and discussion programmes, radio discussion and website. T ...

''. At the end of that season, he announced the end of his playing career with a view to moving back to New Zealand to focus on his broadcasting career there. In April 2013, Marshall made an unexpected comeback, taking the field for club side Wakatipu, at the age of 39.

Commentating career

Marshall joined Sky TV New Zealand in 2010.

First-class record

Awards and achievements

Individual

In the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours, Marshall was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services to rugby.

Team

Club and domestic *1994 New Zealand National Provincial Championship Division II Champions *1994–1995

Ranfurly Shield The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Shield is based on a challenge system. The holding union must defend the shield in challeng ...

holders *1997 New Zealand National Provincial Championship Division I Champions *1998

champions *1999 Super 12 champions *2000 Super 12 champions *2000–2003 Ranfurly Shield holders *2001 New Zealand National Provincial Championship Division I Champions *2002 Super 12 champions *2004 Ranfurly Shield holders *2004 New Zealand National Provincial Championship Division I Champions *2005 Super 12 champions *

2006–07 Celtic League The 2006–07 Celtic League (known as the 2006–07 Magners League for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth Celtic League season and the first with Magners as title sponsor. The season commenced on 1 September and was completed on 12 May. The team ...

champions * 2007–08 EDF Energy (Anglo-Welsh) Cup champions International *1996 Bledisloe Cup champions *1996 Tri Nations champions *1996 New Zealand tour of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

series winner *1997 Bledisloe Cup champions *1997 Tri-Nations champions *1999 Tri-Nations champions *

1999 Rugby World Cup The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial international rugby union championship. It was principally hosted by Wales, and was won by Australia. This was the first Rugby World Cup to be held in the sport's professi ...

fourth place *2002 Tri-Nations champions *2003 Bledisloe Cup champions *2003 Tri-Nations champions *2003 Rugby World Cup third place (bronze) *2004 Bledisloe Cup champions *2005 British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand series winner

References

Bibliography

*Gillies, Angus, ''Justin Marshall'', (New Zealand, 2005)

External links

Early life

Playing career

Commentating career

First-class record

Awards and achievements

Individual

Team

See also

References

Bibliography

External links