SCOTT Cummings is confident that Glasgow can shrug off what he sees as a temporary loss of form and challenge for trophies again. Speaking after he signed what the Warriors would only call “a multi-year contract”, the 24-year-old lock insisted that the talent within the playing squad and the ambition shown by the club were among the factors that persuaded him to stay.
“If I didn’t feel that the club had the ambition to try and compete and win trophies then I probably wouldn’t want to stay at it,” Cummings said. “But it’s a club that wants to strive forward, and we want to be a club that’s competing in Europe, competing heavily in the league.
“Just because we’ve had a bit of a blip in our form towards the start of this season doesn’t mean that we’ve all of a sudden gone on this downwards spiral and we’re never going to win again. So 100 per cent I believe the team can still do really well.”
Asked what gave him that belief, he continued: “The quality of the players. What I see is guys that are coming in every day and are willing to work hard and fight for the jersey and to represent it well. Yes, things haven’t gone our way and we’re still on a learning curve with a lot of new coaches, and there’s a lot of players who left at the end of last season, but things are changing.
“I believe in the squad and I believe in the club. And that’s about it.”
That expression of confidence by one of their key players comes as a major morale boost for Glasgow at the end of a very difficult few months. Their form in the PRO14 has been bad enough, producing just two wins from seven games so far, but that was followed by the 42-0 loss to Exeter Chiefs in the only Champions Cup pool fixture they have been able to fulfil so far. Then came two Covid-enforced call-offs, not to mention the news that stand-off Adam Hastings will leave Scotstoun for Gloucester at the end of the season.
A move to England is a possibility that Cummings will almost certainly be invited to make at a later point in his career. Already established as a first choice for Scotland less than a year and a half since making his Test debut, he has a fighting chance of being included in the Lions squad for next year’s tour to South Africa and looks sure to continue to mature into a world-class second row over the next few years.
For the time being, however, home is where the heart is - something that explains his diffident response when asked if he thought he could be tempted by a move to England or further afield later in his career. “Might be,” he said. “I don’t know. Playing for Glasgow has always been something I’ve wanted to do since I was young, so for me to get to play for Glasgow means a lot. And just because we’ve had a couple of bad games doesn’t mean all of a sudden I want to change something I’ve dreamt of for years.
“Obviously there’s the temptation to go there [England], go to France, go somewhere else. But just now I’m really happy with getting to sign here.
“To sign a long-term contract is good for me. It wasn’t really a difficult decision. I was born in Glasgow, born and bred here, and I supported the club for years and years before I even started playing, so to get to represent Glasgow means a lot to me and the chance to continue doing that is a great thing for me.
“It was quite an easy process. I told my agent towards the start that I wanted to stay and it just went there from there. He talked to the club and they wanted to keep me and we got it all sorted. I’m just really happy that I get to play for the club I love for the next couple of years.”
Danny Wilson is just as happy that Cummings made the decision. “Scott is a good athlete and someone with a fantastic rugby brain,” the Warriors head coach added. “We’re delighted that he’s chosen to extend his contract with us.”
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