FORMER WIDNES VIKINGS and Bradford Bulls head coach Francis Cummins has found a Super League role.
Cummins, now aged 47, has joined Hull FC’s ever-expanding Centre of Excellence programme for the start of the pre-season campaign this week as Head of Emerging Talent.
The club’s pathway is developing into one of the best youth development programmes in the country, and has successfully identified and signed some of the regions brightest young rugby league players in recent years, leading to back-to-back semi-final appearances for FC’s U18s, as well as various players being selected for representative honours.
It will now be strengthened even further by the appointment of an experienced head coach and former GB, England and Ireland international to help build on the fantastic progress achieved so far – with the club’s vision for their youth development being embraced by everyone at the club.
Working alongside Head of Youth, Pete Riding, the pair will oversee the club’s burgeoning youth programme, which features FC’s ‘Outstanding’ rated academy side, and reserves setup – both of which Cummins will coach next season.
The 47-year-old knows first hand what it takes to break into first-team rugby at a young age, having made his senior debut for Leeds Rhinos at the age of just 16 and to this day still holds the record of the youngest player to feature in a Challenge Cup Final at just 17 years old.
Cummins enjoyed a distinguished playing career as a one-club man with the Rhinos, scoring 188 tries in 356 appearances.
A Grand Final, Challenge Cup and League Leaders Shield winner with the West Yorkshire side, he would go on to captain the side during the 2002 campaign, before enjoying the club’s most-successful testimonial to date the following year.
Following his retirement at the end of the 2005 campaign, Cummins’ became assistant coach for the next four seasons as the Rhinos enjoyed one of the most successful periods in their history with a trio of Grand Final victories between 2007 and 2009, working alongside current FC first-team head coach, Tony Smith.
Cummins departed the Rhinos for rivals Bradford Bulls ahead of the 2010 season, taking on the role of assistant for two years before becoming head coach in 2012.
At Odsal, he would play a key role in the development of some of the country’s brightest talents of modern times, including John Bateman, Tom Burgess, and Elliot Whitehead.
Cummins has also worked with the RFL as the England Schools head coach, as well as in development positions, including in regional camps in the Midlands – an area the club are also now active in through its own outreach programme.
He has also developed his own Rugby School of Excellence since 2016 through his passion for developing young players, as well as gaining further experience with spells at Wakefield Trinity, Widnes Vikings, and Rugby Union clubs Yorkshire Carnegie and Doncaster RUFC.
Various high-calibre candidates were considered for the role of the club’s new Head of Emerging Talent, but Cummins’ knowledge and enthusiasm for the role shone through, while the club received strong references from previous clubs, the RFL and players who have previously worked with him.
Speaking to hullfc.com, Cummins said: “I’m really pleased to be taking up this role – to be able to get the opportunity to work with the club’s next generation of talent is a really exciting one for me.
“The club have invested heavily in the junior setup and pathways over the last few years, and some fantastic groundwork has been put in place to build on. The club has a clear vision from the top down for making their youth programme the backbone of the club for many successful years to come, and that really grabbed me.
“It’s now for me and the rest of the staff to make sure that we push more players through to the first-team and nurture some of the region’s most talented young players.”
On the club’s facilities, he added: “I actually paid a visit to the University of Hull earlier in the year to spend some time with Tony, and the facilities really blew me away – they’re excellent and all in one place. I know there’s more development to come too, so it’s a great programme to be a part of right now.”
Clearly ready to embrace the club’s youth philosophy, Cummins is ready to continue the focus on developing players as young people, with a focus on standards and culture.
“Initially, it’s about attitude and ambition, but the DNA of our sport is about having a willingness to work hard. We’ll be working on skill and our style of play, but you’ve got to have the work ethic to reach the top, so that’s the sort of traits we’ll be looking to develop in players across the grades.
“My first message to the players will be a simple one and is aligned to the values this club are already driving through the Centre of Excellence – we want to turn these youngsters into professional players, and if we can’t do that, we want to make sure they’re spending time in an environment which turns them into good people and makes them successful in whatever they do in later life, proving the foundations and building blocks of teamwork and strong work-ethic.”
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