Nick Cummins leaves Western Force and Aussie Rugby

Western Force and Wallabies winger Nick Cummins has signed a deal with Japanese club Coca Cola West Red Sparks for the 2014/15 season.

Cummins could miss the 2015 Super Rugby season and be ineligible for Wallabies selection for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, but the CEO of Rugby WA Mark Sinderberry said it’s hoped the conditions of Cummins’ release will allow him to play with the Force again next year.

“We’d certainly like to see Nick back in Force colours beyond this season,” he said. “He’s a player that gives his all on field. He has been a great representative for our club over the past seven years and, as a result, is an extremely popular member both within the team and with our supporters.

“While he’s a player that we’d love to hang on to, we understand Nick’s situation and we respect that this is an outcome that is best for Nick at the present time.”

The ARU confirmed Cummins had been released.

CEO Bill Pulver says the ARU “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.”

“Nick has been an incredibly entertaining and successful player on the field for the Western Force since 2008 and the Qantas Wallabies since 2012.

“The enthusiasm he brings to our sport and unique personality that he has shared with the Australian Rugby community will be sorely missed.

“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.

“We wish him well for the future on and off the field and he is aware that we – and Rugby fans across Australia who have embraced him as the ‘Honey Badger’ – would love to see him back in Australia in the future.”

The news could be better than it sounds though. There is precedent for players signed to Japanese rugby to play for Australia, as George Smith did against the British and Irish Lions last year.

The Roar spoke to former Wallabies and current Toyota Shokki fullback Mark Gerrard, who said he would be “surprised” if Cummins was unavailable for the World Cup.

The Japanese season winds up in February 2015, and Gerrard says that there is a real possibility Cummins could return to Super Rugby and still be eligible for the Cup.

But he says he understands the lure of Japanese clubs, where he is currently plying his trade.

“We have a very limited time available to us in our career, so we have to make hay while he sun shines,” Gerrard said.

“It’s hard to compete with what’s available in Japan, so if he’s taken an offer there it’s completely understandable.”

Cummins started in each of the Wallabies’ last three Tests against France in the June International window where he scored two tries, and will return from injury for the Force this weekend against the Reds.

The immensely popular player, nicknamed ‘The Honey Badger’, has done plenty to grow the Force and Australian rugby due to his now famous post-match interviews.

With his laconic, jargon-filled interviews, he is a big loss to the Australian rugby scene off the park as well as on. It’s hard to imagine someone filling the void and crossing the white stripe to grab some ‘meat’.

Cummins joins a list of Australian Super Rugby players leaving Aussie shores before the 2015 Cup, with Brumbies skipper Ben Mowen, fellow Force back Jayden Hayward, young Waratahs lock Kane Douglas and Rebels fullback Jason Woodward all leaving their respective Super Rugby franchises to chase opportunities in other countries.

He is arguably the most likely of these to have potentially forfeited a starting spot in the Wallabies 15 for the Cup, but he may have faced a challenge with Brumbies flyer Henry Speight becoming eligible for Australia in September this year.

It could also spell trouble for the Western Force, with Cummins one of their best on-field performers this year. To go with his loyalty to the franchise and his off-field attraction for supporters and new fans, he was a valuable player for them.

The Force have a history of not being able to hold onto their stars, with James O’Connor and David Pocock two previous players who have left the Force at the peak of their powers.

If this report is true, it could deepen the Force’s backline problems for 2015 and also leaves them searching for another player that will help promote the club’s brand.