Western Force winger Nick Cummins models himself on the honey badger
Iain Payten From: The Daily Telegraph May 06, 2011 12:00AM
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Half man, half badger: Western Force winger Nick Cummins. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: The Daily Telegraph
AS Nick Cummins tells it, he'd been searching his whole life for the honey badger.
"I had been looking for an animal that I would like to resemble," he explains.
"I was on Animal Planet one night and this thing has come up. It's an absolute machine, it has no natural predators and is the size of a house cat. I just thought: "This is me. I need to be a badger."
The Western Force winger was so inspired by the honey badger, in an interview soon after he spoke of his intention to play more like the fear- less animal.
A legend was born.
The story ran coast-to-coast and Cummins - already far from a cookie-cutter footy player with his curly mullet - was quickly renamed The Badger by fans and Force teammates alike. No drama, said Cummins this week.
"The boys give it to me but once they look up the animal they are really impressed," Cummins explains. "I sat there and looked at him on the TV running around doing his thing, and I just went, 'I want what he has'."
Cummins alerted Australia to a cult following worldwide of the honey badger. As made famous by YouTube, the animal eats cobras, ferociously defends itself against lions and arrows bounce off its hide. It's described as either the bravest or dumbest animal alive.
"And that's the beauty of it. People don't know. They don't know what he's going to do," Cummins laughs.
Fear not. While Cummins is as a unique character, the affable Randwick winger keeps his tongue firmly in his cheek most of the time and is a very popular team member of the Force.
Indeed, it's this willingness to have a joke that the Waratahs may need to be wary of ahead of their clash with the Perth men at the SFS tomorrow night.
After a frustrating start to the season where they lost several winnable games, Cummins said the secret to a recent form revival by the Force had been a lighter approach to life.
"After we lost to the Rebels [by one point] we had a bit of a sit down, a few crisis talks and the whole bit. We came up with this plan to enjoy footy more, to give positive feedback ... it was a chance to encourage blokes rather than have a crack at them, and I think it's really showing in the results," Cummins said.
After beating the Brumbies in Canberra and then knocking off the defending champion Bulls, the Force went within minutes of beating the heavyweight Crusaders side last weekend.
"There has been a change of mindset, there is more belief in the club now," Cummins said.
The Force may only be a mathematical long-shot of making the finals but the winger says his side is like "Rocky Balboa - never count us out". Been sprinting up stairs in training?
"Yeah, we've been to the meat markets, going through a few cows and giving them touch-ups," Cummins adds.
Cummins, 23, has personal goals as well this season. A former Sevens star and Wallabies training squad regular, the tackle-busting winger-cum-centre hopes his form will see him in contention for a World Cup squad spot.
With Drew Mitchell injured, a strong performance in front of Robbie Deans tomorrow night will go a long way to staking a claim.
Cummins is not afraid to mix it up to get what he wants. That's what a honey badger would do.
"I just like to look at his face, during the contact or during any sort of attack, and there's only one thing on his mind: 'I will win.' "
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