Paul Marshall will make his 150th appearance for Ulster when they take on Edinburgh

Paul Marshall will make his 150th appearance for Ulster when they take on Edinburgh in the PRO12 on Friday.

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.

"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," said Marshall.

"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."

Momentum

Edinburgh coach Alan Solomons is expecting a tough game against Ulster and says it is vital that his side keep up the momentum after winning three from three which has seen them take second spot on the table (on points difference) below Scarlets.

"It's really important that we keep the momentum going because the more we're able to do that the more confidence it generates within the team and the better that is for us," explained Solomons.

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"We know we've got a massive game tomorrow night against Ulster - they've been one of the top teams in Europe over the last four or five years and we're really going to have to deliver a performance here."

Edinburgh: 15 Greig Tonks, 14 Tom Brown, 13 Chris Dean, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Damien Hoyland, 10 Phil Burleigh, 9 Nathan Fowles: 1 Rory Sutherland, 2 Neil Cochrane, 3 John Andress, 4 Anton Bresler, 5 Fraser McKenzie, 6 Mike Coman (c), 7 Hamish Watson,  8 Nasi Manu.

Replacements: 16 George Turner, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 Alex Toolis, 20 Cornell du Preez, 21 Sean Kennedy, 22 Will Helu, 23 Jack Cuthbert.

Ulster: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Craig Gilroy, 13 Sammy Arnold, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Andrew Trimble, 10 Peter Nelson, 9 Paul Marshall; 1 Callum Black,  2 Rob Herring (c), 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 4 Dan Tuohy, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 6 Roger Wilson, 7 Sean Reidy, 8 Nick Williams.

Replacements: 16 John Andrew, 17 Andrew Warwick, 18 Bronson Ross, 19 Lewis Stevenson, 20 Willie Faloon, 21 David Shanahan, 22 Ian Humphreys, 23 Rory Scholes.