As with all professional sports, a rugby career doesn't exactly go hand in hand with longevity. As many of today's top players will say, rugby is a game that takes its toll and players are only one injury away from having to call it a day.
It makes sense, then, for players to prepare for life after they walk away from the pitch. That's why many of today's savvy players are busy with side hustles or stepping into brand-new career paths.
Let's take a look!
Dillon Lewis – Coffee Entrepreneur
This Welsh Rugby Union player may only be 25, but he's already proven himself to have a (tight) head for business. Lewis plays tighthead prop for the Cardiff Blues, having made his debut with the Welsh team in 2014. When it's time to hang up the jersey for good, however, Lewis has a pretty tasty side hustle to fall back on.
In 2017, Lewis founded a coffee company with his Blues teammate, Brad Thyer. The pair branched out into beverages after realising just how much they and their fellow players were paying out for the daily cup of Joe – “it sort of dawned on us how (we) go to Costa…and spend X amount.”
Today, the company has generated a substantial social media following, an eCommerce website and even a subscription service for fellow coffee addicts. And, of course, it's also the unofficial coffee for Cardiff rugby.
David Susigan – Poker Pro
This former French pro may not have reached the same levels of global fame as say Thierry Dusautoir or Raphael Ibanez, but he did enjoy a successful career across six seasons for third division French teams including Dijon and Castanet.
Unfortunately, Susigan sustained several knee and shoulder injuries during his career that led to him having to take early retirement. He soon discovered, however, that he had an innate talent for another type of competitive game that would see him develop quite the lucrative post-rugby career.
After retiring from the physical sport, Susigan turned his attention to playing a mindsport, becoming a full-time professional poker. Specialising in Texas Hold'em poker, which is the variant found in many a real money poker app, he's enjoyed some substantial wins at prestigious tournaments like the European Poker Tour and the World Poker Tour in Monaco and Barcelona respectively. To date, his live earnings stand at a not-too-shabby $319,413.
Karl Tu'inukuafe – Boss Bouncer
So far in this article, we've covered the new careers that rugby pros can stride into when they retire. When Karl Tu'inukuafe decides to put away his rugby boots, he's already got a ready-made career just waiting for him.
Tu'inukuafe was the rugby story of the year in 2018 after seemingly rising out of nowhere to play for the All Blacks during their Steinlader Series. Taking the position of loosehead prop, he went on to make 13 appearances with a total of 6 starts – making him a standout player in the process.
What makes Tu'inukuafe's story so remarkable is that he first came to prominence 11 years ago as a college player. Despite a promising start, he segued into a new career as a security guard for the events industry in Auckland. It's a career that he could easily pick up again post-retirement, after all, who's going to mess with an All Black?
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