Nick Cummins
IN A TIME OF COOKIE-CUTTER PLAYERS IN MANY SPORTS, ONE ATHLETE HAS STOOD OUT AMONGST THEM ALL.
AT 27, AUSTRALIAN RUGBY UNION STAR, NICK CUMMINS, HAS BECOME AN AUSSIE SPORTING CULT HERO KNOWN THE WORLD OVER.
AFFECTIONATELY NICK-NAMED THE ‘HONEY BADGER’ AMONGST FANS AND MEDIA, CUMMINS’ SUPER STRENGTH, FEARLESS APPROACH AND WHOLEHEARTED NEVER GIVE-UP ATTITUDE ON THE FIELD HAS SEEN HIM REGARDED AS ONE OF THE BEST WINGERS IN THE GAME TODAY.
BUT IT’S HIS POPULARITY OFF THE FIELD THAT MAKES CUMMINS SO UNIQUE.
WITH HIS SIGNATURE LOOK OF BLONDE CURLY HAIR, MOUSTACHE AND HEAD TAPE, REMINISCENT OF ERA’S GONE BY, CUMMINS’ POST-MATCH TELEVISION INTERVIEWS AND NOW FAMOUS ONE-LINERS HAVE SINGLE HANDEDLY TRANSLATED TO MORE FANS FROM OTHER SPORTING CODES TUNING IN, PUT MORE BUMS ON SEATS AND GENERATED MORE DOLLARS FOR RUGBY AS A SPORT.
WITH LITERALLY MILLIONS OF VIEWS ONLINE, THE MAGNITUDE OF HIS CONTAGIOUS SIMILES HAS SEEN NICK ACHIEVE THE RARE FEAT OF ULTIMATE TEAM MAN, YET HUGELY CHARISMATIC INDIVIDUAL – WHILE BEING AS HUMBLE AND GROUNDED AS ANY ELITE ATHLETE CAN BE.
ON FIELD
CUMMINS’ FEARLESS APPROACH AND WHOLEHEARTED NEVER GIVE-UP ATTITUDE ON THE FIELD HAS SEEN HIM REGARDED AS ONE OF THE BEST WINGERS IN THE GAME TODAY.
KNOWN FOR HIS RELIABILITY, BODY-ON-THE-LINE ENTHUSIASM AND A PREFERENCE TO RUN OVER A RIVAL THAN AROUND THEM, HE IS ALSO ONE OF THE BEST OUT-TO-IN BLITZ DEFENDERS IN THE WORLD AND A DEADLY FINISHER.
OFF FIELD
EVERY SO OFTEN A SPORTS STAR COMES ALONG WHOSE POPULARITY TRANSCENDS TRIBAL ALLEGIANCES THAT EVEN FIERCELY PARTISAN FANS OF RIVAL TEAMS CANNOT HELP BUT ADMIRE.
AT 27, CUMMINS HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST-LOVED CHARACTERS IN THE SPORTING WORLD.
NICKNAMED AFTER THE FEARLESS UNDERDOG OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM, HE HAS SINGLE-HANDEDLY TRANSFORMED THE TALKING-HEAD INTERVIEW INTO HIS OWN UNIQUE ART FORM.
IN 2012, AND IN FRONT OF A GLOBAL TELEVISION AUDIENCE, THE THEN 24 YEAR OLD INTRODUCED THE WORLD TO HIS UNIQUE TURN OF PHARSE WHEN HE REFERRED TO SCORING A TRY IN A BBC POST-MATCH INTERVIEW AS A “MEAT PIE” – AFTER HE CLINCHED THE DECISIVE FIVE-POINTER FOR THE WALLABIES AGAINST ENGLAND AT TWICKENHAM STADIUM.
SINCE THEN, HE HAS PROVEN TO BE A RARE COMIC GENIUS IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA.
SENSATIONAL SAYINGS, SUCH AS “I WAS BUSIER THAN A ONE-ARMED BRICK-LAYER IN BAGHDAD” OR “I WAS GOING OFF LIKE A CUT SNAKE”, HAVE DEFIED EVEN THE DOUREST INTERVIEWERS TO HOLD A STRAIGHT FACE.
THIS HAS LED TO OVER 300,000 SOCIAL MEDIA FANS AND QUITE LITERALLY SEEN MILLIONS OF VIEWS ONLINE FOR HIS POST-MATCH GAME INTERVIEWS.
IRONICALLY, FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS BECOME A SMALL-SCREEN STAR, SHOWMANSHIP HAS NEVER BEEN A FACTOR WHEN CUMMINS CROSSES THE WHITE LINE, WITH HIS ON-FIELD CELEBRATIONS LIMITED TO OLD-SCHOOL HANDSHAKES AND BUM TAPS.
IT’S CUMMINS’ UNBRIDLED SENSE OF FUN WHICH IS A BIG REASON FOR HIS UNIVERSAL CHARM, BUT CRUCIAL TO THE BADGER’S APPEAL IS HIS ABILITY TO COMBINE THIS HORIZONTAL OFF-FIELD DEMEANOR WITH THE EXACT OPPOSITE DURING GAMES – TOTAL COMMITMENT.
ASIDE FROM SOCIAL MEDIA INTERACTIONS WITH HIGH-PROFILE FRIENDS, CUMMINS’ COPIOUS MENTIONS OF SALMON FISHING AND OTHER PERSUITS GIVE REFRESHING EVIDENCE OF A GROUNDED BLOKE LOVING DOWNTIME AWAY FROM PROFESSIONAL RUGBY’S TREADMILL.