Marshall ruled out of Ireland summer tour

Luke Marshall has been ruled out of Ireland's summer tour to the USA and Canada. Picture: Press Eye.

The Ballymena man hasn’t played since Ulster’s Heineken Cup defeat by Saracens after suffering concussion in three successive games this season.

“Maybe a couple more knocks on the head so soon after the ones I’ve had could lead to problems,” said Marshall.

“Basically, I’ve been told to take the summer off and come back next season.”

“I don’t think the medics are too worried.

“Obviously they wouldn’t want me to be getting another couple of bangs for a while, but I think it’s just precautionary.

“I haven’t had any headaches or dizziness and my balance is all right so that’s all good.

“While every Ireland game is important, some are more important than others and I think they reckoned it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I missed these couple at the end of the season.”

Marshall received a boost at the weekend when he was named as the Pro12 Young Player of the Season after a string of top performances for Ulster.