Scott Cummings refreshed and ready to be a part of Scotland’s summer tour - if required

Having missed the final two matches of the Six Nations with a broken hand, Scott Cummings doesn’t feel in need of a rest this summer and would welcome the opportunity to be part of Scotland’s tour to Eastern Europe.

Scott Cummings in action for Glasgow Warriors in the Rainbow Cup/1872 Cup win over Edinburgh at Scotstoun. Picture: Craig Williamson/SNS

With Gregor Townsend away with the Lions, Mike Blair will take charge of the national side for matches against Romania and Georgia on July 10 and 17.

At 24, Cummings could be one of the senior players in a squad which is likely to have a youthful feel to it as Scotland use the matches to give an opportunity to some up and coming talent.

It’s been a long season but the second-row feels he still has plenty left in the tank after his enforced injury lay-off.

“I don’t feel like I’m in desperate need for a break as I’ve hardly played in the last eight or nine weeks!” said Cummings who sustained the hand injury against Ireland. “We’ll wait to see what happens. If I’m selected I’d love to go. If I’m not, I’m not.

“I don’t know what sort of squad they will pick and what players they will want to bring in. But if I’m picked I’ll be excited to go.

“The good thing with Scotland is the squad has really settled together well and everyone really helps each other out. That’s whether you’ve just got a couple of caps or 50 or 60. If I’m one of the more senior ones that goes then I’ll share my experiences with any of the younger ones, definitely.

“For me in the last couple of months I’ve just been thinking about Glasgow. When I did my hand injury my focus was just on coming back for Glasgow. I wanted to get back out there as soon as possible for the club.”

Scott Cummings gives a thumbs up after suffering a head injury in Glasgow Warriors' win over Edinburgh at Scotstoun. Picture: Ross MacDonald/SNS

Cummings’ comeback for the Warriors was cut short when he sustained a head knock in the home win over Edinburgh which caused him to miss the return match at BT Murrayfield. He’s now back to full fitness and looking forward to the Rainbow Cup match against Dragons in Cardiff on Saturday night.

Glasgow are handily placed in the standing, four points behind leaders Benetton with two games to go. The top team at the end of the five-match mini-league will go through to the North v South final in Treviso on 19 June against the side that wins the South African Rainbow Cup.

The back-to-back wins against Edinburgh helped Glasgow turn it around after the dire defeat by Benetton in their opening Rainbow Cup fixture. Cummings, who missed the game in Italy, said the squad had a point to prove.

Scott Cummings broke his hand during Scotland's Six Nations match against Ireland. Picture: Ross MacDonald/SNS

“After that Treviso game we were pretty embarrassed with the performance as a whole so I think we just wanted to gain a bit of respect back more than anything.

“I think it did give us that reality check, that there is a lot more we can do on and off the pitch just to improve our performances a wee bit, so it definitely gave us that kick to change a couple of wee things. It wasn’t any massive changes, just simplifying a few things and focussing on a few other things, which seems to have boosted us in the last couple of weeks.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription