ON SATURDAY, Japan-based Australian Nick Cummins will line up for the Barbarians against his former Wallaby teammates at Twickenham but he hasn’t given up hope of playing alongside them at the same venue in next year’s World Cup.

The long-haired, extroverted winger known as the Honey Badger is in the first year of a lucrative two-year contract with Fukuoka side Coca Cola West Red Sparks, but says there is a slight chance of suspending the second year to allow him to play next season with the Western Force in order to quality for the World Cup.

media_camera Nick Cummins poses in his Barbarians jersey.

“If there is a small chance to go back there for Super Rugby next year and possibly be eligible for the World Cup I’d take it, “ he said.

“It’s not often you get to do a World Cup which is why I’ll definitely get back to Japan and ask again. It’s one of the things the boys will have for the rest of their lives, one of things that you only experience once, so hopefully.

“It would depend on my Japanese club bending a little bit which is probably not likely.

“Things have been spoken about but it’s not that simple over there. They don’t operate like that, they’re pretty straight down the line and that’s fine, I’m cool with that. The contract is what it is and I’m happy with it. I wouldn’t have signed it otherwise.”

It has been well publicised that Cummins, 27, took the money on offer in Japan to help his family. Two of his seven siblings have cystic fibrosis and his father Mark, a single parent, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

While he declined to speak of his family, saying they are uncomfortable in the spotlight, he did say of his choice to play in Japan rather than stay with the Wallabies and almost certain World Cup selection, “You’ve just got to roll with what you’ve been given. Things pan out for a certain reason and you’ve got to make the best of everything you can.”

media_camera Nick Cummins and his father Mark Cummins.

That has certainly been the case since he and girlfriend Martina made the move to Fukuoka. He has embraced Japanese life, is learning to speak the language, and has taken advantage of the country’s proximity to other regions.

His preparation for the Barbarians match has been a week living with a nomad tribe in Western Mongolia.

“I had a week off so we flew to Mongolia for a bit of hunting and exploring in the Altai Mountains,” he said. “I was living with a nomad family watching how they survive and going along and watching how they hunt.

media_camera Nick Cummins was a fan favourite at the Western Force.

“They hunt foxes, rabbits … that’s how they survive. They live off the land.

“You’ve got to get up high in the mountains first. You’re on horseback and you’ve got a big eagle on your arm and when you see a fox, you take the cap off the eagle and it zooms in on it and boom.

“That’s one of the great things about being in Japan. You’re so close to other places. There’s so much I want to experience. Places that were in the war, like Okinawa, and Hawaii, and Russia’s there too. I want to tick them all off before I leave.”

And Martina better keep a packed bag ready, just in case.

“The decision to go to Mongolia was made two days before we left,” he said. “But she’s knows if you’re going to roll with the Badge you’ve got to be quick on your feet.”