Peter Jackson: Such a loss as Nevin joins pantheon of lives cut short

The Spence family farm catastrophe brought a small Ulster town to a standstill on Wednesday, a triple tragedy marked with bare-headed sorrow all over the rugby world.
Nevin Spence, who died alongside his father Noel and older brother Graham in an accident, made enough of a life cut cruelly short to have stamped himself as an Irish international centre in the making. He was, in the words of his Ulster captain, Johann Muller, “a highly skilful and gifted player … utterly committed to Ulster and enormously proud to represent his Province.
“His positive outlook on life brought a smile to people’s faces. He was kind, polite, generous and courageous and we are blessed to have had him in our team.”
Spence’s death at the age of 22 evokes memories of other sportsmen and women who died at a similar age. Three spring to mind – Archie Jackson, Duncan Edwards and Lillian Board.
Jackson, a native Scot from Rutherglen whose family emigrated to Sydney after the First World War, was playing Test cricket for Australia at the age of 19. He died four years later, in February, 1933, from tuberculosis.
A batsman of such prodigious talent, it was said he would have been as good as the greatest Australian batsman of them all, Sir Donald Bradman. The Don was one of the pall-bearers for Jackson’s funeral.
Edwards, of Manchester United and England, was 21 when he succumbed in February, 1958, to injuries received when the charter plane bringing United home from a European Cup tie in Belgrade crashed on take-off at Munich.
Board, the golden girl of British athletics, was 22, the same age as Spence, when she lost her fight against cancer in 1970, after winning silver in the 800 metres at the 1968 Olympiad in Mexico and Athlete of the Games for her double gold at the 1969 European Championships.
Sadly, rugby had suffered more than its share of premature deaths before the terrible accident at the Spence farm in Hillsborough, Co. Down. Here are some:
John McCall (18): Collapsed during Ireland’s Junior World Cup-tie against New Zealand in Durban in March 2004 and died in hospital within hours. Cause of death – cardiac failure.
Ralph Tsagane (19): Promising Wasps wing who made a real impact during the early days of what was the Courage League. Lost his life in a road accident during the club’s Merseyside tour 20 years ago.
Craig Johnson (19): Had been taking steps towards following older brother Paul into the Wigan team when he was killed in a car crash on the outskirts of Bolton in February 2003.
Billy-Joe Edwards (20): Younger brother of Shaun Edwards, he lost his life in the same accident as Johnson. The tragedy had a devastating effect on the Edwards family.
Nick Duncombe (21): Had barely made the Harlequins’ first team when Sir Clive Woodward capped him during England’s Six Nations campaign in 2002. Woodward predicted “The beginning of a long international career”. The shocking news came less than 12 months later, that Duncombe had died from a rare illness.
Michael Tabrett (22): The Queensland Reds’ wing-cum-centre had played for Australia at three levels when he died suddenly in December 2003 – two days after training with the Reds.
Maurice Kerekere (23): A sheep-shearer by trade, he was killed in a car crash at Gisborne in December, 2000. At the time he had begun to make a name for himself as a centre in New Zealand’s provincial championship.
Nicky Allen (26): New Zealand Test stand-off who played nine times for the All Blacks in the early Eighties before moving across the Tasman to play in Australia. Died in Wollongong in October, 1984, from head injuries received in a club match.
Martin Knight (28): An Australian Test centre who appeared during the winning home series against the Grand Slam Welsh in 1978. Passed away in Sydney in February 1984 after a four-year battle against leukaemia.
Gareth Jones (28): Neath scrum-half who died at the University of Wales hospital in Cardiff in June, 2008, after several weeks’ intensive care for neck injuries during a Welsh Premiership match against Cardiff. He left a wife and two children.
Alexander Obolensky (24): A Russian prince whose two debut tries against the All Blacks were the stuff of legend. He lost his life three years later, killed in a plane crash during military training in 1940.
Soa Otuvaka (25): Newcastle Falcons‘ Tongan back row died from a brain tumour in March 2004. His popularity could be gauged by the fact that a trio of World Cup-winners, Martin Johnson and Zinzan Brooke, were among the stars who came out for a fund-raising game in Soa’s memory.
John Howe (29): England B and U23 second row forward who made a big impression during one season in New Zealand. Collapsed during West Hartlepool’s match against Moseley on March 28, 1992, and died shortly afterwards at Leeds Infirmary.
Ali Johnson (28): Broke his neck in a collapsed scrum playing for Tynedale against Fylde in 2004. Paralysed from the head down, his courage in the face of such terrible adversity won him a legion of friends. Johnson died at Hexham hospital in December 2008 following a stroke.
Solly Tyibilika (32): Started eight Tests for the Springboks between 2004 and 2006, achieving the distinction of being the first black forward to score a try for the Rainbow Nation – on debut against Scotland. Shot dead in a Cape Town bar last November.
Sam Doble (33): Moseley’s prodigious goalkicker played three times for England, making a winning debut against South Africa at Ellis Park in 1972. He died from cancer five years later.
Jarrod Cunningham (38): A goalkicker in the Jonny Wilkinson class, the New Zealander played himself into England contention after making the long-haul transfer from Hawke’s Bay to London Irish. When Clive Woodward offered him an England squad place on the strength of Jarrod’s English mother, he politely declined on the basis that he could never put himself in a position where he might have to line up against the All Blacks. Died in July 2007 after a typically brave battle against motor neurone disease.
Reuben Kruger (39): An integral part of South Africa’s 1995 World Cup-winning campaign.  Died in January, 2010, after a long battle against a brain tumour.