Born in Woodbridge, England, and educated at St Joseph’s College in Ipswich, Marshall Sykes qualifies for Scotland through his Dundee-born grandmother.

The back-row/lock hybrid represented Scotland at U18 level before making his Scotland U20 debut in the 2018 U20 Six Nations.

After a successful 2018 World Rugby U20 Championship, he was aligned to Glasgow Warriors as a Stage 3 FOSROC Scottish Rugby Academy player. He missed the 2019 U20 Six Nations through injury, but his form for Ayr earned him a place at the World Rugby U20 Championship in Argentina, where he played in all five of Scotland’s matches.

Standout displays for Ayrshire Bulls in the inaugural FOSROC Super6 Championship then earned him his first professional deal with Edinburgh in 2020.

Sykes made his first Edinburgh start against the Dragons at the Principality Stadium in March 2021. He scored his first try for the club in the 28-28 Rainbow Cup draw with Scarlets that June. That October he won his first Scotland cap off the bench against Tonga at BT Murrayfield.

He has since become one of the most dependable performers in the capital pack. He brought up his 50th Edinburgh appearance in the December 2023 Challenge Cup win over Castres Olympique and was voted Scottish Building Society Player of the Month for September 2024.

He made his Six Nations debut off the bench against France at the Stade de France in March 2025, and started in the second row in Scotland’s 85-0 win over the USA that November.

In April 2026 Sykes signed a new two-year deal, keeping him in Edinburgh until at least summer 2028. In October 2026 he became the club’s 47th centurion, making his 100th appearance in the home win over the Fidelity SecureDrive Lions.