Lock Cummins set for PE return with Scarlets
FORMER Eastern Province Kings lock Steven Cummins is set to return to Port Elizabeth in the colours of Welsh team the Scarlets to face the Southern Kings in a PRO14 rugby clash on Sunday.
The Scarlets said the 25-year-old former Australian U20 player was set to link up with the West Wales outfit ahead of the trip to South Africa.
The Welsh side have been hit by international call-ups and have de- cided to bolster their ranks by signing the Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby forward.
Cummins is to pack down at lock with another Kings player, David Bulbring, who is also a member of the Scarlets squad.
Standing 2.02m tall, Cummins can also cover the blindside flank and could make his Scarlets debut at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Sydney-born Cummins has put pen to paper on a long-term deal and will be available to immediately feature for the Scarlets.
Cummins has represented New South Wales and the Australian Schoolboys, captaining them in 2010.
He went on to represent Aus- tralia’s U19s and U20s, featuring in the 2012 Junior World Rugby Championships in Cape Town, as well representing the EP Kings in the Currie Cup, in 2014, and captaining Melbourne Rising.
“We are delighted to confirm that Steve Cummins is joining the Scarlets,” general manager Jon Daniels said.
“Securing the right quality of player, both on and off the field, is crucial for us as a group.
“The need for non-Welsh qualified players is more relevant to us now than ever, with 15 players on international duty,” he said.
“So bringing in the right player, who will be available to us all season to complement our homegrown talent, is something that is crucial to our strategic aims and has proved to be very effective in recent seasons.”
The Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac is also happy to have Cummins.
“Steve is an experienced lock forward with a high work rate, but he is also a natural leader,” Pivac said.
“His credentials speak for themselves, having started every Super Rugby game for the Melbourne Rebels this year.
“A former junior international, and with a wealth of experience in Super Rugby, Steve will bring a different dimension to our game.”
The Kings are due to name the team to face the Scarlets on Friday.