Where did rugby begin for you?
I began playing at Kelvinside Academy in Primary Four. I played at No 8 early on – so I could get on the ball more – but by the time I was at Glasgow U16 I was a lock.

Before Glasgow, who did you play for?
I hadn’t played any club rugby before joining Glasgow Warriors, but last season (2014-15) I played for Glasgow Hawks. I came in just in time for the derby game against Ayr. It was bigger than anything I’d experienced before.

How have you found playing regularly for the Warriors?
It’s been great. Just getting picked in the squad was a huge step up for me, to be involved with a lot of experienced guys around me. In the big, pressure situations they know so much. I never  expected to start but it’s been good.

And you scored a try!
Yeah, but I wouldn’t like to boast – it was my first try in about three years! I scored it against Connacht in a tight win. We performed really well in the first half in that one and let it slip in the second, so I suppose it was an important try but I wasn’t thinking that at the time – I was just trying to get past someone with the ball!

What have you learnt?
It has been really good to call the lineouts in pre-season games and having Al Kellock around helps a lot. In games when lineouts haven’t been great, it helps to have guys like Pat MacArthur and Chris Fusaro there. Then there’s Jonny Gray’s work ethic and Tim Swinson’s power game to learn from.

RW Verdict: Thrust into action during the 2015 pre-season, off the back of playing for Scotland U20, he has thrived for Glasgow and started regularly in the Guinness Pro12. He has even deferred a degree in maths. Expect to see a lot of Cummings.

First published in the December 2015 edition of Rugby World magazine.