Scarlets lock-in young Aussie

Nov 17 • General News, Guinness Pro14 • 1990 Views • Comments Off on Scarlets lock-in young Aussie

Scarlets are delighted to announce the signing of Australian lock Steve Cummins from Super Rugby franchise Melbourne Rebels.

25-year-old former Australia Under 20s lock Cummins is set to link up with the West Wales region ahead of the impending trip to South Africa

At 2.02m Cummins is an imposing figure who can also cover the blindside flank. The dynamic Super Rugby lock has impressed of late starting all fifteen of his Rebels appearances in 2017, playing over 1,000 minutes of rugby.

Cummins moved to Melbourne in 2015 for his first Super Rugby debut and though contracted to Melbourne Rebels until after Super Rugby 2018 both clubs agreed his early release.

Sydney born Cummins has put pen to paper on a long-term deal with the Scarlets and is expected to arrive in Wales in the coming days and will be available to feature for the Scarlets immediately.

Cummins has represented New South Wales and Australian Schoolboys, captaining the side in 2010. He went on to represent Australia Under 19s and 20s, featuring in the 2012 Junior World Rugby Championships in Cape Town, as well representing Eastern Province Kings in the Currie Cup (2014) and captaining Melbourne Rising.

Commenting on the news Jon Daniels, Scarlets General Manager of Rugby, said; “We are delighted to confirm that Steve Cummins is joining the Scarlets. Securing the right quality of player, both on and off the field, is crucial for us as a group with camaraderie and team environment equally as important as on-field performance.

“The need for non-Welsh qualified players is more relevant to us than ever now with fifteen players on international duty and bringing in the right NWQ player, who will be available to us all season, to compliment our homegrown talent is something that is crucial to our strategic aims and has proved to be very effective in recent seasons.”

Head Coach Wayne Pivac added; “Steve is an experienced lock forward with a high work rate but is also a natural leader. His credentials speak for themselves having started every Super Rugby game for the Melbourne Rebels in 2017.

“A former junior international, and with a wealth of experience in Super Rugby, Steve is a lineout technician that will bring a different dimension to our game going forward and is a high calibre player who is available all year round.”