Before there was Johnny Sexton and the gasp and worry everytime he'd go in for the tackle - Luke Marshall was the Irish player you'd worry about.
The Ulster centre, who had the nickname of Bam-Bam in some quarters for a while, suffered four concussions in a year, and it derailed what looked like a promising start to his international playing days.
Marshall debuted in that infamous loss to Scotland, playing extremely well and making two clear linebreaks on the day - but couldn't connect with any support runner. His potential looked unlimited, and he was Gordon D'Arcy's heir in the 12 jersey. But a concussion in the forgettable loss to Italy was the beginning of an awful year for the centre, where he'd get three more in a 12 month period.
Thankfully, Marshall hasn't had a concussion since February 2014 - and after reclaiming his form with Ulster this season - was fantastic against South Africa in the first test on his return to the international fold.
With his history, should we be worried about him getting a knock in the head? From what he's saying, it doesn't sound like it. In fact, he never thought about retirement except for a brief period after the knock against the Dragons that February:
You hear of players suffering from headaches and having to go home and sit in a dark room, or can’t concentrate and all sorts of things like that. I was never at a stage like that at all. In that sense, I was always fine. I love playing rugby and I’m very lucky to do it. Unless there was a point when I felt it was going to stop me from doing what I love, there was no point worrying about it.
With Marshall's last head injury coming more than two years ago, his susceptibility to concussions has clearly lessened, and hopefully the Ulster centre can continue his upward graph and fulfill the promise that he's been showing since he was a talented 15-year-old for Ballymena Academy.
