Nick Cummins back from globetrotting holiday to make late Rio bid for Aussies sevens squad

SLOGGING through chest-high snow in Norway and sprints on an outback airfield had Nick Cummins prepared - almost - for his first day at Australian sevens training.

Australia Sevens Training Session

SLOGGING through chest-high snow in Norway and sprints on an outback airfield had Nick Cummins prepared - almost - for his first day at Australian sevens training on Wednesday.

After signing on 10 weeks ago, Cummins finally linked up with Andy Friend’s squad at their Narrabeen base and there was no easing into things for the former Wallaby wing.

A tough session on a hot day in an extra-fitness week tested Cummins’ conditioning and resolve and though he has been on a globetrotting holiday for the past month, the 28-year-old took a first step towards Rio by respectably surviving.

“​These boys are fit. Fitter than I am, as you can see,” Cummins said.

Cummins’ break means he’s left his run for possible Olympic selection late - particularly given the impressive form of the Aussie team recently - but he said the time away had been a must after “four seasons back-to-back”, in Australia and Japan.

“I was more than due for a change up,” Cummins said.

He spent time in Norway, learning how to icefish and riding behind a reindeer on a sled, and also took his brother and father on a fishing trip to the Kimberleys, in Western Australia.

“Just to flush out your head, you know. To get away from it as far as you can and feel that burn to come back,” Cummins said.

“(My father and brother) had a great old trip, so when I see them happy it charges me up a lot.”

Nick Cummins survived his first sevens training.

Cummins’ father is battling cancer and two of his siblings suffer from cystic fibrosis.

But knowing full-well he had to return to the torturous world of sevens training (which he knows from a stint in sevens in 2010), Cummins went a bit Rocky-montage on his trip and trained where ever he could.

“She was back to basics up there (in Norway) I was cutting wood for a couple of hours, to get that core and shoulder strength,” Cummins said.

“And then running through the snow, you only go 20 metres but you are totally shattered. Especially when it is up to your chest.

“Then in the Kimberley it is just the red dirt up there. I ran down to the airport and did a few accelerations up and down the runaway. If you hear them coming in, you get the hell out of there. Whether it was a chopper or a fixed wing, you get the hell out of the way.”

The training appeared to pay off. When the Aussie squad did a 10 x 30 second sprint (with 30 second rest) sequence at the end of a long session, Cummins looked knackered but stayed on the pace with his more seasoned teammates.

Training was a tough grind for Nick Cummins.

“He finished on top in the end,” coach Andy Friend said.

“You know with him, he’s a fighter, but as he just said to the group: he’s not there yet but he is going to do his best to get there as quick as possible.”

Former sevens players tend to adapt to the game quicker than parachutists from 15s and Cummins hopes that’s the case; he wants to get back into selection mix with only four World Series tournaments left.

“It all comes down to your fitness. Your mind is more creative when you are not as bloody shagged,” he said.

Cummins admitted he would have to re-educate himself to be “more opportunist” on the field, having developed into more a power athlete in 15s.

Friend believes Cummins has enough time to press his claims for Rio, but admits he wants to take as strong a squad as possible to Hong Kong early next month to begin to settle combinations for Rio.

Nick Cummins gets a bit of training help from a reindeer.

Cummins’ slim hopes of playing in Hong Kong have been boosted by a swag of injuries, particularly in the outside backs. Henry Hutchison and Greg Jeloudev both have ankle injuries, and Henry Speight (eye socket) is also unavailable. There are six other injuries in the camp, as well.

“We hope he will have enough time,” Friend said.

“The one thing we have seen over the last couple of months, the boys have really taken another step up, so anyone who is trying to come into the group, you are chasing pretty hard now. They are a long way ahead.”

Friend said he planned to play new recruit Frank Winterstein in one of the next two tournaments, labelling the former NRL player as a Fijian-style big body with the potential to break the line and offload.