Today marks the second anniversary of the tragic death of Nevin, Noel and Graham Spence in a farming accident.
Nevin’s passing had a profound impact on the players, management and staff of Ulster Rugby. Two years on, it is still impossible to comprehend how a young player, so talented, so humble and with such a massive future in both sport and life, could be so cruelly taken from us.
Following his death, a commitment was made that as long as Ulster Rugby exists, the name and the player ‘Nevin Spence’ will never be forgotten. As part of that promise, a new education and heritage centre will open next year in the new Memorial End Stand – ‘The Nevin Spence Centre’ extolling the virtues that Nevin so brilliantly displayed – namely a healthy life style, sporting success and a passion for Ulster Rugby.
Today, on the second anniversary of Nevin’s death, we asked our captain, Rory Best, our Head of Physiotherapy, Gareth Robinson and our Chaplain, Reverend Andrew Thompson, to reflect on what Nevin meant and continues to mean to them.
Rory Best
It is hard to believe that it is two years since Nevin so sadly passed away.
If you ask any member of the squad they will be able to tell you exactly where they were when they heard the devastating news.
The two years have flown by. In many respects for us and for the players, life has had to continue. Things have happened – we have won games and we have lost games. We have been in finals. Rugby has gone on. But just as it has seemed that the two years have gone quickly I have no doubt that it has been a long two years for the Spence family. They are always in our thoughts.
For Ulster Rugby, the 15th September will always be a sad occasion. As a squad we will come together with management and staff today to remember Nevin.
We will reflect and there will be sadness. However, we will also enjoy sharing stories about him – things that he did on the rugby pitch, games that he played and those terrible jokes that he told.
Today is a sad day, but those memories of Nevin bring so much joy.
Gareth Robinson
The last time I saw Nevin was the night before he died. The team had just beaten Munster and he was in the changing room congratulating the boys. Just before he left I asked him to sign a shirt for me. His was the only signature I needed to complete the shirt. Typically Nevin wondered why the shirt needed his signature but reluctantly in the end he did it.
Today, as a squad we will come together to remember Nevin. The young rugby player and our friend who was tragically taken from us on the 15th September 2012.
Remembering Nevin is a very personal thing but today represents a collective understanding that this date should be marked by the squad spending time together. To pay our respects, to share our memories and to support each other. This is the ‘fixture’ in our season that will remain constant. The date is fixed. There will be no cheering crowd, no tries, no crunching tackles and no points won or lost. The result will be the same each year. It will be the reality check in the often-mad world of professional rugby.
Today will represent the time when we reflect on how Nevin touched our lives and how through his memory he continues to be an example to us all.
Nevin was just a great person to know and work with. He wasn’t a noisy loud in your face type of person. He was humble honest and committed. I’m not sure if Nevin ever recognised the talent he had but anyone who saw him train or play respected him and his talent, fully. Not that Nevin was shy!
His occasional flirtation with treatment room stand up was far from funny, yet it was. He made us laugh and he made us cringe! Both Alan and I got to spend a fair bit of time with Nevin through his career. It’s safe to say he hated being injured. A limb could literally be falling off and it would be “nothing to worry about”.
There wasn’t an ailment, a “flam” or a “painkiller” couldn’t cure! When he was injured he worked so hard to get back. He was as determined through his rehabilitation as he was in a match. Nevin was one of life’s good guys.
For such a talented young man he possessed such solid values. The underlying thing that fuelled and maintained these values was his faith. A strong deep faith that allowed him to keep his integrity in a challenging world. By recognising and understanding his faith and that of his family it has allowed us to reason he is happy and safe now. Even in his death Nevin has had influence.
We miss Nevin. For a long time after his death we expected him to walk into the treatment room and everything be fine. He never did.
I wonder where that shirt with Nevin’s signature has ended up? What I do know is that now, every time an Ulster shirt is pulled on before a match Nevin’s ‘signature’ is there.
It might not be in bold black ink but it is entwined in the fabric of the shirt this team and this organisation. He is always with us.
Reverend Andrew Thompson
Some people will tell us, “There’s no future living in the past!”
Why, then, do we have this tendency as human beings to always want to cast our gaze back to bygone times? From simple birthdays and anniversaries, to the recollection of former sporting glories, to the commemoration of historically significant events, as families and a society we clearly recognise the importance of remembering the past.
In Bible times, God consistently encouraged people to look back and remember. Through communion and the familiar landmarks in the calendar like Christmas and Easter, our churches recall and celebrate events that took place hundreds, even thousands of years ago.
It is important to look back and remember, because past events can teach us so much that it is relevant to our present and our future. In terms of faith, it is by recalling how God has demonstrated His goodness and power in the past that we are inspired and equipped to serve Him in the present and assured to know that He is looking after the future.
We also remember, most importantly, because we know that, for the members of the Spence family, their circle of friends and Nevin’s teammates, their loss is still raw and painful – it is important that they continue to know that we love and support them and that God will never forget or leave their side.