Nick Cummins in late Olympics push

By Darren Walton
AAP on March 23, 2016, 12:21 pm



Colourful Wallabies winger Nick Cummins is making an audacious bid for Olympic selection after completing his first training session with Australia's rugby sevens team in almost six years.

"There was a bit of black smoke but we got it done," Cummins told AAP after surviving a gruelling two-hour workout with the Thunderbolts on Wednesday.

The "Honey Badger" is now hoping to make a bee-line for Rio in August but accepts he's leaving his run late following his return from a playing stint in Japan.

Cummins last featured in Australia's sevens program at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi but says he craves a comeback and shot at gold-medal glory.

"The environment that sevens breeds is awesome," he said.

"With a smaller squad, all the boys are tight and there's a real feeling in the squad of not wanting to let anyone down."

Cummins is available for the last four rounds of the World Sevens Series and hopes to get a chance to impress coach Andy Friend in Hong Kong from April 8-10.

"If not Hong Kong, then definitely the round after that in Singapore," he said.

"In Sevens, fitness is crucial and it's going to come down to how quickly my body gets in shape.

"The last two rounds are in Paris and London and I hope to get on the burst by then."

Cummins was encouraged by his performance in particular in some sapping interval runs to complete Wednesday's session in Sydney.

"I didn't finish first but I didn't finish last," he said.

Cummins, with 15 Test caps to his name, could well receive his big opportunity to showcase his credentials as a direct replacement for fellow Wallabies winger Henry Speight.

Speight was a member of Australia's 12-man squad that secured the bronze medal at the Canada Sevens this month but is expected to be out of action for eight weeks and may need surgery for a bone fracture above his eye.

The Fiji-born flyer suffered the injury when he collided heads with Brumbies teammate Christian Lealiifano during his team's Super Rugby loss to the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sp...olympics-push/

Hope he makes it but he needs to be fit enough for playing 7s.

Good timing - Henry Speight will miss Hong Kong and Singapore due to injury and, considering how he's struggled adapting to sevens, you have to wonder if he'll work his way back into the side anyway.

Nick has played sevens before and would be a good fit in the team. His size and speed would work well in a team which is already blessed with plenty of tricky steppers.

It would also be great conditioning for a triumphant return to the Force in 2017.......just sayin'

Hope he makes a go of it. Firstly for The Badge. But also it will be such a great marketing boost for Rugby. All sports nuts love the Olympics and many non-Rugby sports nuts will tune in to the 7's to see The Honey Badger having a run.

Nick was a very exciting and creative swerver and stepper when he played sevens, though he wasn't really known for that side of his game when he played for us, it'll be great to see if he still uses those abilities when when he plays sevens again.

so what poor bastard who has been slaving his guts out on the 7's circuit is going to miss out for Cummins late arrival?

thoughts Rusty?

I don't think he'll make the Rio team. So no one?

Thought someone was injured and he's been called in as a replacement? Speight??

No he was signed to a sevens contract a while back. Fringe players tend to drop in and out of the squad from tournament to tournament anyway so i don't think it's a big deal.