By CHRIS RATTUE
Halfback
Age: 30
Height: 1.79m
Weight: 94kg
NPC team: Canterbury
Super 12: Crusaders
Super 12 games: 80
Test debut: 1995
Test caps: 65
Marshall is a candidate for the most misunderstood All Black in history. Seriously.
Has there ever been a player whose perceived weakness has been grabbed by the
masses with such relish, obliterating his strengths from view along the way.
Large sections of the public are like a dog with a bone when it comes to Marshall, obsessed with what they see as a poor pass.
Marshall's pass is down there with Anton Oliver's lineout throws - the root of all evil to a significant section in the grandstand.
Yet his physical presence, strength of character and competitiveness continue to elevate him above the pack of chasing halfbacks.
So what is this bad PR all about? His clearance is certainly not as bad as some would have you believe.
Maybe we're just a conservative mob who are inherently suspicious about blokes who stick peroxide in their hair.
Sid Going had a pass which makes Marshall look like Gareth Edwards, yet Going remained a much loved figure through thick and thin.
When it comes to lining up in the trenches, however, John Mitchell appears to see Marshall as a frontline troop.
As his career has gone on, Marshall has grown particularly adept at reading when he needs to kick, and when to keep the ball in hand.
His aggressive charges around the fringes can give the All Blacks vital momentum, and he won't let the defensive system down.
As always, there will be a mass of scrutiny on his pass - especially as hitting the flanks quickly, trying to bring Joe Rokocoko and Doug Howlett's pace into play when they have space, is a key part of the All Blacks' armoury.
One thing Marshall can rely on. If he gets that part of his game wrong, then the wolves will be at his door.
