Six Nations champ's touching tribute to mum (From South Wales Argus)

Dragon Andrew Coombs' touching Six Nations tribute to mum

5:40pm Sunday 17th March 2013 in Gwent news By Will Bain

SIX Nations championship winner Andrew Coombs today paid a touching tribute to his late mum Elaine - laying the medal he won at yesterday's Millennium Stadium match on her grave.

The 28-year-old second row originally from Nelson, who lost his mother in 2005, sent us a picture which he put on his Twitter account today, with the caption: "A champion's medal for a champion mum #missyou #loveyou #neverforgotten."

Coombs came on as a sub in yesterday's 30-3 demolition of England, meaning Wales retained the Six Nations championship.

There also can have been no-one prouder than his brother Newport RFC’s Ross Coombs, who was at the stadium to see him become a Six Nations champion in his first season as a Welsh international.

"It was just an amazing day," said Mr Coombs.

"We went down early to soak up the atmosphere and it was just amazing.

"It was edge of your seat stuff in the first half but party time in the second.

"I was just glad he got on and got to be a part of it.

"It’s been a long two months for Andrew where he has worked hard and not seen much of his family and you could see it was a big relief for all the boys and they wanted to share it with their families.

"I was able to go down and see him in the family area there and we just told him how proud we all were. It was a fantastic day."

And Mr Coombs joked: "I might need to see if anyone has a convertible Land Rover or something to give him an open-top bus parade round Nelson starting at the Star and ending at the Co-op!"