Nick Cummins says he almost went to the mines before his talent for hunting ‘meat’ wa
By Jim Tucker Rugby Union
The Courier-Mail
April 03, 2014 10:30PM
NEVER devalue wild-haired winger Nick Cummins as a mere curiosity when his infectious intensity is what makes the Western Force such a danger.
The machine gun-fire of wacky one-liners from the “Honey Badger” may provoke laughter, but he should always be respected for what he can do.
Cummins will say he is a winger with no sidestep. He has less need of one when trampling over opponents to reach the tryline is his thing.
“I reckon you have to put a presence in front of your opponent, a bit of confidence and attitude and then you can change what their next move may be,” is part of the Cummins textbook on wing play.
There will be no greater collision of different wing styles than at Suncorp Stadium tomorrow night. “Holy tomorrow,” as Cummins would say.
Cummins is all eye-bulging directness while his Queensland Reds rival Rod Davies is all fast footwork and elusive speed.
Few realise Cummins got his first taste of the physical game on the tough school fields of Logan where he learnt to tackle “a bunch of big buggers”.
Life could have turned out very differently than his cult following after 12 Tests and seven seasons as a Force favourite.
“I was either going to go the mines, the army … or rugby in Sydney (at Randwick),” Cummins said of his almost accidental start thanks to a shrewd talent spotter.
New Force wing mate Luke Morahan has seen Cummins up close and understands the work he puts in.
“There is never anything quiet about him but he’s no-nonense the way he goes about his preparation and playing,’’ Morahan said.
“He runs hard, tackles hard, competes hard. He’s everything a good winger should be.’’
The Kiwis can’t get enough of his “Badgerisms” since his classic sideline interview from the Hurricanes-Force game went viral with more than 240,000 views on YouTube.
Cummins explained afresh that his Avatar-style connection with the fierce African carnivore stems from a honey badger once killing a lion by “clawing the canastas off the big fella”.
English scribes were bewildered when Cummins scored his first Test try at Twickenham in 2012. “What have we got here?” they asked in unison.
“I just saw the line, pinned me ears back and ended up bagging a bit of meat in the corner there,” Cummins said.
Aussies swiftly translated “bit of meat” into “meat pie” and rhyming slang for “try” but the Brits were still fumbling.
Cummins’ proud father Mark says his knockabout son is true to who he is.
Along with the passionate chat “he is not a player who’ll ever dog it,” Cummins Sr said.
Even Force fans are into the act now with banners to show their support for a player who is enlivening rugby talk beyond scrum binding discussions and boring breakdown chat.
Some wit at Suncorp Stadium will top the best banner so far: “Honey Badger … Going Off Like A Raw Prawn.”
BEST OF THE BADGER
“Sweatin’ like a gypsy with a mortgage, actually.”
“I just saw the line, pinned me ears back and ended up bagging a bit of meat in the corner there, which was tops”
“My old man was going off like a bag of cats.”
“I was busier than a one-armed bricklayer in Baghdad.”
“You’ve got to show the passion of the Dalai Lama.”
http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/su...-1226873954326
