Australian lock Cummins checks in at Pau as a medical joker

Australian Steven Cummins has joined Pau from Scarlets as a medical joker ahead of the 2020/21 Top 14 season which starts on the opening weekend of September. 

Pau's preparations for the new campaign suffered a blow when Daniel Ramsey injured a forearm during a friendly in Lourdes, ruling him out for several months from a season which begins with a September 5 trip to Montpellier.   

That left the French club scratching around for cover and their search ended with Cummins, the 28-year-old from Sydney who arrived in Wales in November 2017 and made 46 appearances for the club that reached the European Champions Cup semi-final and the PRO14 final in 2018. 

Cummins previously played for Melbourne Rebels and Eastern Province Kings, featuring in a tour match versus Wales in 2014.  

A statement on the Pau website read: "Affected by a broken forearm during the preparation match at Lourdes, Daniel Ramsay left a big void in the second row.

"In order to compensate for this absence, Pau have called on a medical joker until the return to the field of Ramsay. The club is very happy to welcome the experienced Steven Cummins. An Australian U20 international, he played Super Rugby for three seasons with the Melbourne Rebels. From 2017 to 2020, he played with the Welsh region of Scarlets. He joins Pau on Wednesday."

Cummins' most recent appearance for Scarlets came last February off the bench in a PRO14 defeat at Munster prior to the 2019/20 season getting suspended due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Scarlets restarted their season under new boss Glenn Delaney last Saturday with a win over Cardiff. Their starting locks were Lewis Rawlins and Sam Lousi, with Jake Ball providing cover from the bench in the 32-12 victory.