Rugby-Salford bid could end Marshall's union Blues - report

SYDNEY, April 6 (Reuters) - Benji Marshall's stint in Super Rugby with the Auckland Blues could end up being brief with English club Salford mulling a lucrative bid to lure him back to rugby league, according to a report in the Australian media on Sunday. The 29-year-old former New Zealand rugby league captain switched codes on a two-year deal with the Blues for this season but has started just one of the team's first seven matches. Marshall had hoped to put himself in the frame for the All Blacks squad for next year's World Cup defence and the New Zealand sevens team for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Getting into the highly competitive All Blacks squad was always going to be a tall order and his lack of game time has only compounded the difficulty of the challenge. That might make him open to an offer from English Super League club Salford, whose wealthy owner Marwan Koukash told Sydney's Sunday Telegraph that the former five eighth was under consideration as a recruit. "We always looking at players of Benji's quality, who wouldn't be interested in him?" Koukash told the paper. "I'll be talking to our coach about all the recruitment over the next couple of days. Benji will be one of a few players we'll talk about." Marshall captained his club and country during his time in rugby league, securing an NRL title for the Wests Tigers in 2005 and an upset victory over Australia to claim the 2008 Rugby League World Cup for New Zealand. On Friday, he played 23 minutes as a replacement as the Blues lost 26-9 to the ACT Brumbies in Canberra taking his tally for the season to 169 minutes in five games. Coach John Kirwan has preferred the previously unheralded Simon Hickey at flyhalf this season and Marshall's lack of starting opportunities has revived the nickname "Benchy", which he earned in the last of his 10 seasons at Wests Tigers. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)