Ulster Rugby v Uruguay

MARCUS LOOKING FORWARD TO INTERNATION Making it as a rugby player is no mean feat, so for two siblings to make it in the pro ranks is quite the achievement.

So far this season, Marcus is doing everything he can to get into the team, being one of the consistent performers for Ulster A in their recent Celtic Cup campaign and even captaining the side on occasion. It's something that the 21-year old wasn't pushing for but, now that he's had a taste of wearing the armband, it's something that he feels might suit him down the line. "At school I captained my Upper Sixth team and it was something Willie (Anderson) had noticed," reveals Rea. "I think it took me a couple of years to build my confidence within the A team and I think this year, with it being a younger squad, it allowed me to build on that previous experience. I have a lot to learn on the captaincy side of things. "In terms of being chosen, it was a shock to me, but hopefully it's something I can build on and a few years down the line I'd love to be the captain out on that main pitch." Tonight, Rea will get his chance to put up his hand for that first cap when he and a few other younger players will try and impress against Uruguay in Ulster's first game against international opposition since 2008.

Rory and Simon Best have done it for Ulster, as have John and Ricky Andrew. And now another pair, from Ballymena like the Andrews, are set to take centre stage as the next sibling duo to shine for the Province. While Matty Rea has already made his bow, earning 22 caps in an Ulster jersey, it's younger brother and Abbey Insurance Academy prospect Marcus who is pushing for his first call-up to the senior team. The junior Rea, in his third year in the Academy, has had to bide his time for a first senior cap, but he insists that the dream of taking to the Kingspan Stadium turf alongside his big brother is still very much alive. "We're learning from each other and that's the best thing about it, me learning off him, and the aim is for Matthew and I to be playing in the white shirt together. It's going to be a dual effort to do that," admits Marcus, who plays at flanker like brother Matty. "It's nice to know someone so well, particularly coming into an environment like this. It's good because after a game at the weekend, he'd go and look at my clips and I'd look at his to get a bit of extra feedback, and you don't have that with many other players, so I'm lucky to have a second pair of eyes watching what I'm doing."

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