Wallaby Nick Cummins released by ARU to join Japanese club
‘Honey Badger’ will miss World Cup as family situation forces Asian switch
Wallabies winger Nick Cummins has been released from his contract to sign with Japan’s West Red Sparks for next season, ruling him out of the 2015 World Cup, officials said on Friday.
The shaggy-haired Cummins, a cult figure known as the “Honey Badger”, is among several Wallabies, including forwards Ben Mowen and Kane Douglas, who have opted to go overseas before the World Cup in England.
Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie has already made clear he will only select home-based players for the tournament.
It is very disappointing to lose a player of Nick’s calibre but we appreciate that this is a decision based on what is best for him and his family
The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) said Cummins had been granted an early release from his contract with the national body to play for the Kyushu, Fukuoka Top League club in a decision based on unspecified “unique family circumstances”.
“We have been working with Nick and his management team to explore ways to retain him within Australian rugby since we were notified of his circumstances,” ARU chief executive Bill Pulver said in a statement.
“Due to his unique and extreme personal circumstances, we have reluctantly made a decision to grant Nick an early release from his current contract based on compassionate grounds.”
The statement did not say what those circumstances were, but Cummins is known to have seven siblings, two of whom have cystic fibrosis and are looked after in rural Queensland by their single-parent father who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
McKenzie said the crowd-pleasing Cummins would be missed by the Wallabies.
“It is very disappointing to lose a player of Nick’s calibre but after discussing the issues at hand, we appreciate that this is a decision based on what is best for him and his family at this time,” McKenzie said.
Rugby WA chief Mark Sinderberry said he hoped the conditions of Cummins’ release would allow him to play again with the Western Force in next year’s Super Rugby competition.
Cummins, 26, has played 15 tests for the Wallabies since making his debut against Argentina in Rosario in 2012 and has been a mainstay of the Western Force back line since 2008.
He started in all three matches of the Wallabies’ clean sweep against France last month.
