ANDREW Coombs has admitted that it never looked like he would return to the rugby field after sustaining the knee injury that ultimately forced him to quit the game.

The former Newport Gwent Dragons and Wales second row underwent seven operations in 14 months before having to hanging up his boots last week at the age of 31.

Dad-of-two Coombs, who owns a construction company with his brother Ross, would like to move into coaching but knows he is not in a position to do that given the state of his knee.

For now, the 10-cap international simply wants "to be able to run around with my kids in the garden", something that hasn't been possible for more than a year.

Speaking about the time spent trying to come back from the injury he sustained during the Dragons' Challenge Cup victory over Cardiff Blues in April 2015, Coombs said: "I've had seven operations in 14 months and been really unlucky with the way things have panned out.

"At the end of the day, my knee can only take so many operations. In the last 14 months I've not made it onto the training field once, which shows how bad the injury was, and not once in that time did it look like I was going to get back on the field.

"It's tough going to work for that long and not doing what you are paid to do. You feel like a hindrance on everyone and a strain on the business.

"For the first eight months after the injury I didn't do any rehab sessions and as much as you don't want to believe what the surgeons are saying, you get to a stage where you have to listen to them."

He continued: "I had my last operation on May 25 and the surgeon told me then I needed to be aware that there was significant damage to my knee.

"I didn't get a chance to speak to the surgeon again until my consultation in June – that was the longest month of my life.

"You always think you are going to come back from an injury, so when you are told you shouldn't play again you don't want to believe it.

"I've been playing rugby since I was six, it's in my blood, and for the first three days after I was told I kept thinking of packing my kit bag to go to training.

"You are on auto-pilot and when something like this happens you've got to keep reminding yourself what the reality is.

"As hard as it is to take it is closure for me. When you're going through so much turmoil you can't see a light at the end of the tunnel, at least now I can start looking at what I'm going to do after rugby."

A particularly stressful period in Coombs' rehabilitation came not long after he suffered the serious knee problem at Rodney Parade.

"It's difficult when you are in hospital after an operation and your wife is due to give birth," added the former Pontypool and Newport forward.

"It got to a point where I had been in hospital for a week and discharged myself because I needed to be at home.

"It's quite stressful when you're lying in a hospital bed and your pregnant wife is 30 miles away.

"And then because of my knee I wasn't able to do anything for the first four months after the baby was born.

"I not even been able to swim because I can't kick my leg out in the pool. It is like I've been disabled over the last 14 months.

"I hope it does get better. I want to be able to run around with my kids in the garden."