The former Central Hawke's Bay Rugby and Sports Club premier player was a bolt out of the blue when last year he made the Chiefs' cut. In doing so he joined distinguished players from the province, such as former Magpies and Highlanders prop Clint Newland, All Black/Crusaders/Melbourne Rebels prop Greg Somerville and ex-Magpie Rob Evans, to have honed their life skills at the station's 612ha satellite block perched on the foothills of the Ruahine Range.
However, Marshall harbours no regrets about not playing for the Magpies because he always intended to return to his home turf where his father, Ian Marshall, was a former Taranaki loosie and Rhys' grandfather, Les Marshall, who turned 80 last week, also played five games as a forward for the province from 1955-57.
"They both weren't in the front row. Unfortunately I'm not as tall as them so I'm a hooker," says Rhys Marshall who made the world title-winning New Zealand Under-19 side in 2009 but didn't represent the Magpies as former All Black Hika Elliot, dumped from this year's squad, had the first dibs on the No1 hooker's jersey.
The former New Plymouth Boys' High School 1st XV captain represented Taranaki through the age groups up to under-18 level before coming to the Bay in 2011. He also played for the Bay championship-winning Onga-Tiko Colts team that year.
Marshall, speaking from his grandfather's farm in Taranaki, says even if the Magpies saw him in their equation under coach Craig Philpott he couldn't afford to make the commitment required last season due to the demands of studies.
The call-up to the Chiefs last December was exciting for the youngster who now rubs shoulders with former Magpies prop Ben Tameifuna, lock Brodie Retallick and hooker Elliot.
"Its a pretty cool environment with Brodie, Ben and Hika. Ben's like security for mates who've got your back, especially when you're in the front row. That's the same with Hika and Mo [Mahonri Schwalger]."
Rookie Marshall, who is on the bench after splitting the starting hooker's berth with 36-cap Timo Tutavaha in their four games to date, is hoping to have some game time against the Magpies.
Former age-group World Cup teammate Ihaia West and Mark Atkins, a former New Plymouth High mate, are the acquaintances.
"I've always had fun playing with Ihaia," he says of the pivotal playmaker whom he played against as a 14-year-old rep in Wanganui.
"He was a pain in the arse then, too," Marshall says with a laugh, adding West worked really hard on some aspects of his game before the Baby Blacks' campaign so it didn't surprise him that he was making an impact in the NPC.
"I was sitting there watching the Ranfurly Shield game on TV the other day, laughing my head off, when he made a mockery of the Otago defence."
New Plymouth-born Atkins was a year older than Marshall at high school.
"Mark was very good and an athlete. He was a sprinter in 100m and 200m and was the champion in seventh form.
"He's always been a big man like his old man, Dale Atkins, a huge Cantabrian who made a living out of running over people, so Mike's in the right direction, too."
Taranaki haven't had the best start this season, losing 30-6 away to Canterbury in their opener, stumbling 29-10 at home to Wellington, pipping Southland 15-14 in Invercargill and then becoming the flogging boys to Auckland, 51-15, in New Plymouth last Saturday.
"The boys have come together when the chips have been down to help each other out but against Auckland, mate, we were just misfiring, so that's not good."
While the Magpies are traditionally underdogs at Yarrow Stadium, he reckons, the Naki know what to expect from the visitors after they went down 27-24 in their first shield defence to Counties Manukau in Napier last Saturday.
"We expect them to be hungry and physical. They have an element of precision with their kicking and chasing type of game."
Naki coach Colin Cooper says the Kane Barrett-skippered side are in the redevelopment phase after losing a cluster of senior players, "especially in the No10, 12, 13 spots, who are all new".
"So we'll be taking each game as it comes and our whole focus is on Hawke's Bay in our house," says Cooper, not wanting to look at the impending shield challenge against the Steelers this Sunday.
Bolstering a shoddy defence against Auckland is paramount, the former Hurricanes coach reveals, as Sione Lea and Tutavaha are promoted from the bench to the front row with Marshall and Carl Carmichael warming the bench. Mitchell Crosswell will start at blindside flanker with Barrett to play lock for the first time this season.
Berny Hall, Jamison Gibson-Park and Ope Peleseuma are all promoted from the bench to the starting XV at openside flanker, half-back and second five-eighth, respectively. Seta Tamanivalu moves to the wing and Andre Taylor returns from injury to start at centre. Nemia Soqeta and Beaudein Waaka are back in the 22.
"The Bay will be dangerous, hurting, so cautiously we'll be aware of coaches and players who have lost the shield," says Cooper.
TARANAKI: 1. Sione Lea, 2. Timo Tutavaha, 3. Ryan Cocker, 4. Jarrad Hoeata, 5. Kane Barrett (c), 6. Mitchell Crosswell, 7. Berny Hall, 8. Blade Thomson, 9. Jamison Gibson-Park, 10. Daniel Brooks, 11. Seta Tamanivalu, 12. Ope Peleseuma, 13. Andre Taylor, 14. Jackson Ormond, 15. Kurt Baker.
Reserves: 16. Rhys Marshall, 17. Carl Carmichael, 18. James Broadhurst, 19. Nemia Soqeta, 20. Chris Smylie, 21. Beaudein Waaka, 22. Avon Lewis.
