Rugby fans flock to ground to pay tribute to Nevin

They had streamed through the gates of Ravenhill many times before, but never for an occasion like this.

Ulster Rugby supporters usually bounce into the atmospheric east Belfast ground brimming with excitement ahead of a big match. Yesterday they entered at solemn pace; hearts full of sorrow, faces etched in disbelief.

Those who had watched Nevin Spence’s rising star burn brightly on the Ravenhill turf, returned to pay their respects, struggling to comprehend that it had been so cruelly and suddenly extinguished.