Terrible loss of a true talent

When Nick Duncombe died on Friday, English rugby lost a star of tomorrow. Mark Evans, his club coach, pays tribute and again here please and again and again

That day in the autumn of 1998 still stands out clearly in my mind. RGS High Wycombe were playing Abingdon in a pretty undistinguished game. But there was no doubt that the Wycombe scrum-half was a bit special.

Wiry, quick, powerful, with a beautiful pass; he was the best young No 9 I had seen in years. Within six months, though, a promising career had to be put on hold. A broken neck sustained while captaining England schools against their Welsh counterparts meant that Nick Duncombe was going to be out of rugby for a long time – perhaps permanently.

The thing that struck you about Nick around this time was his utter determination and dedication. While the rehabilitation process was tedious and a number of specialists urged caution, he always gave out an air of certainty that he would play again.

In April 2001 he did so, and from then on his progress was staggeringly swift. His first XV debut for Harlequins came in January 2002, a month later he was capped for England and last summer represented his country at the Commonwealth Games.

Such achievement from a young man who had yet to reach his 21st birthday. This season he struggled slightly with a series of minor injuries – not unusual in one so young – but his ability was unquestionable. He was the best scrum-half of his generation and now he is gone.

The loss that his parents, Steve and Helen, as well as his brother Simon and sister Lucy, have to bear is unimaginable. Nick was a talented, gregarious and engaging young man of whom they were justly proud.

At Harlequins we have lost a friend, a precocious talent and a future leader – someone we will never forget. Rest in peace, Nicky.