FORMER Newport Gwent Dragons captain Andrew Coombs has joined the coaching set-up at Nelson RFC.

The ex-Wales lock has joined the management set-up at his hometown club ahead of their Division One East campaign.

Coombs was forced to retire last month after failing to recover from a serious knee injury suffered in April, 2015.

He joins fellow former international Matthew Back, Huw Jones and his dad Jon on the Unicorns' coaching team.

"Known for being an innovative thinker with a big engine, Andrew's work ethic and knowledge will be invaluable to the Unicorns' game," read a club statement. "This is a major coup for Nelson and shows great ambition within the coaching set up."

Championship title hopefuls Pontypool have appointed Simon Church as their head of strength and conditioning.

The appointment marks Church's second spell as Pooler's fitness and performance strategist, having served the club throughout the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons to earn an opportunity with Newport Gwent Dragons.

"I am delighted to be back at Pooler and am grateful to Leighton Jones for the opportunity to lead the club's strength and conditioning department," said Church.

"There was certainly a sense of unfinished business from my perspective and I am really excited to be back working with such a committed playing squad and management staff.

"I am looking forward to playing my part to take this great club back where we feel it belongs. I just hope the players are ready for what is coming up!"

"Simon is without doubt the most intense and committed strength and conditioning coach I have ever worked with," said head coach Leighton Jones.

"He demands so much from the team but because he is so respected by everybody at our club, the team have bought into that and want to keep pushing themselves for him.

"It was almost as though Simon had never been away and that is exactly the type of environment we are trying to build. We have an incredibly tight team who want to give that extra few per cent for each other."