Ireland and Ulster centre Luke Marshall has penned a two-year contract extension that will keep him at Kingspan Stadium until the summer of 2018 - but Rory Scholes is heading for a summer exit after agreeing to join Edinburgh.
Ulster's Director of Rugby, Les Kiss, shared his delight at securing the services of "outstanding professional" Marshall for another two years, as he lamented the loss of Academy graduate Scholes to the province's Pro12 rivals.
"We're delighted that Luke has committed his future to us, particularly given that there was a high level of interest in him," said Kiss.
"Luke is one of our core group of indigenous players which is the bedrock of this squad and, at just 24, we believe that his best rugby is still ahead of him. He is an outstanding professional and a really good person to have in the squad.
"Rory's departure will give more opportunities to our current crop of young players." - Les Kiss
"It was obviously a tough decision for Rory and it's disappointing to lose a player of his quality.
"Our Academy has done a great job in producing local young talent that has gone on to perform well at Pro12 and Champions Cup level. Rory's departure will give more opportunities to our current crop of young players such as Jacob Stockdale, Jack Owens and Robert Lyttle. We wish Rory well on his move to Edinburgh.”
Marshall, who turns 25 on Thursday, has been in excellent form for the province this season, scoring five tries in his 14 appearances.
He said that his desire to win silverware had a big bearing on his decision to stay at Ulster:
"It is always a privilege for me to play for my home province so I'm delighted to be staying on for another couple of seasons," he said.
On signing for Edinburgh, Scholes said: "I think they're a team on the up and that I, personally, can bring something to the squad, and I'm really looking forward to coming over and getting to work.
"It looks as if it's an exciting place to be; it's a great club which is going in the right direction and that's something I want to be involved in. I can't wait to get over and get started.”
