Andrew Coombs: ‘Working alongside rugby meant I didn’t fear retirement’
Andrew Coombs: ‘Working alongside rugby meant I didn’t fear retirement’
Former Wales rugby international and managing director of Bridgestone Group, Andrew Coombs, says working in business management while playing professionally allowed him to not fear retirement.
Speaking to the Businessin Wales Podcast, which will launch on June 3rd, Andrew said he understood the Dragons’ decision to release him as a teenager, which allowed him to pursue a career away from sport.
When he returned to the professional game with the Dragons, he remained involved in business, giving him an advantage when he eventually had to retire from his rugby career.
He said: “Rugby was always a massive part of my life, but working was as well, purely because I was forced to. I was 18 years old, getting my first Dragons contract. I had two shoulder reconstructions in the first two years of that development program, and the Dragons let me go.
“At the time, I fully agreed with their decision. They weren’t a wealthy club; they couldn’t afford to keep players who couldn’t stay fit. And they let me go. I thought it was a smart business decision by them. So naturally, I was forced to go out and get a job and play semi-professional rugby.
“I did that for around two to three years, and then the big break came when I had an opportunity to play for the Dragons again.
“Paul Turner was the coach at the time. I came off the bench [on my debut] quite early, had a very strong game, and he followed me off the bus when we got back to Wales. He apologised to me and said, ‘I’ve probably wasted three years of your life. You should have been a professional a long time ago. Come in on Monday morning, and I’ll have a contract waiting for you.’
“True to his word, the contract was there on Monday morning. So, when I went back to playing, I didn’t really want to give up work. I continued to work as a business development manager for two companies.
“I think that just gave me a grounding. It probably meant I didn’t fear retirement, even though you never really want it to come. And it did come at a time when I didn’t fully expect it. As a rugby player, you’re well aware that you could always suffer a career-ending injury.
“You never expect that it’s going to happen to you. In a quarterfinal against Cardiff at Rodney Parade during the European Cup, I dislocated my knee. I had 14 surgeries in 12 months, and I was bed-bound for almost a year. There was no way back to playing rugby, unfortunately.”
Since retiring, Coombs has moved into punditry and led several successful businesses, including Access 2 Aesthetics, Coombs Fencing and Landscaping, and his most recent venture, The Bridgestone Group.
Starting in March 2024, the construction recruitment firm has gone from strength to strength under Coombs’ leadership, having recently begun operations in Dubai. The Bridgestone Group is part of the BGI Group, which has an annual turnover of £170 million.
Coombs says his time on the rugby pitch has given him a significant advantage in the business world.
He said: “Possibly one of my greatest assets, without trying to big myself up, is my ability to analyse situations, whether in a rugby environment or later in my punditry career. I think that ability to analyse transferred seamlessly from the pitch to punditry and then into business.
“To be successful in business, you have to be adaptable. I remember back during Covid, it nearly put one of my businesses, Coombs Contractors, under when the price of wood tripled.
“We were stuck in contracts with timber, and if we hadn’t adapted or changed the way we were operating, we wouldn’t still be around today. I think I learned a lot from the rugby environment, and I’m forever grateful to the individuals and coaches I worked with who showed me new ways to see things differently.
“I’ve tried to apply that mindset in business, taking it one step further. As a managing director and business owner, it’s crucial to pass that knowledge on to frontline staff, senior managers, and mid-level managers. That’s something we actively strive to do at Bridgestone.”
You can watch or hear more from Andrew on his favourite moments in a Wales shirt, his thoughts on the Lions selection, the future of Welsh rugby, and his dementia diagnosis in the first episode of the Business in Wales podcast, which will be released on June 3rd.
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