His climb to professional rugby wasn’t planned – but with successful seasons and an England debut under his belt, Kruise Leeming is eyeing more success.
“I actually wanted to be a golfer” is not how I expected my interview with Krusie Leeming, the 26-year-old hooker for Leeds Rhinos to begin. For him, rugby was a bit of an accident. He sort of fell into it, he explains, after being asked to attend a training session at his local rugby club, Siddal. It happened, he says, after being spotted practising his golf swings on their training pitch.
What that story shows, I think, is Leeming’s general approach to life. Throughout our chat, he strikes a humble but optimistic tone, a sense that the glass really is half full – if you work hard enough. Fresh from training, he spoke to me about his experience of playing the sport, his big England debut – and why athletes being under more pressure to speak on social issues is both good and bad.
First things first: I wanted to learn where golf came from. “I loved it, my grandad loved it,” he says, with a tone of excitement. Naturally, he wanted to play like Tiger Woods, and he would regularly practice his swings. “Golf was my summer sport”, he said, whilst snooker kept him busy in the winter. As a child, individual sports were his thing. It doesn’t hurt to win a few trophies at that age, although he mentions his achievements with a casual coolness that’ll impress Steve McQueen.
Rugby would come much later, around the age of 12: “I use to practice on the field near me [Siddal Rugby club]… when the groundsman came up to me said you can’t keep taking bits from our field.” It was then, he says, that a deal was struck. In return for swinging like Tiger, he would attend the club’s training session.
“So you literally sort of fell into becoming a rugby player”, I ask. “Yeah, it was a bit later on than most [rugby players]”, he answers. So if he was great at the other sports, why not stick with it? After a reflective pause, he finally answers: “I enjoyed the team thing more than anything.” Trying different things and finding out what works – he’s keen to point out – is important. As our chat went on, I got the sense that Leeming’s not one to miss out on the joys of life. His is a mission to try everything – and to put every ounce of effort into making it a success.
After hearing him talk about his path to rugby, I bring him back to the ‘accidental’ nature of his success – and more importantly, any advice he has for aspiring rugby players. “You’ve got to enjoy it”, he says, describing his time as a rugby player as feeling more like fun than work. The pressure, he says, is always there, even as a young player – but if the enjoyment factor remains present, then playing “doesn’t feel like a day’s work.”
As a professional, he details the increase in pressures to perform – elite coaching, paying fans, commercial interests – and makes a point about the need to constantly train and be on form. And typical of such an interview, I ask him what his first professional contract was – how did it feel? “Erm, I never had that sense of relief, like yes I’ve made it – even to this day.” “Once a deal is signed”, he says, “It’s about getting on with it.” Part of that, he admits, is due to the nature of the sport – and how things are generally more on the humble side than…say… the top football leagues. But his answer, I think, is a window into his character. There is little fuss or fanfare, it seems, about what he does. He strikes a humble yet authentic tone, relieving his past moments – good and bad – with a “just get on with it” mindset.
That “get on with it” feeling, he says, was the same when he signed for Leeds Rhinos. “It’s even more so”, he says, pointing out that the need to focus on training and performing is much bigger at a club like Leeds Rhinos. Given his ongoing success, I was keen to chat about his humble beginnings: “I’ve seen nothing [poverty] with my own two eyes.” His experience in Swaziland, he says, was tough. To come from that to playing professional rugby at a club like Leeds Rhinos – and representing England – makes it all the more special. “I just appreciate everything a little bit more”, he says, “it’s due to the upbringing and background that I’ve come from.”
What I liked about Leeming was his insistence on appreciating the things that come with playing rugby for Leeds: “it’s the little things that we get like your breakfast, just walking outside the gym and there’s a 3G pitch, the stadium, everything makes you appreciate it a little bit more.” He made no mention of fame or fortune – and nor did he seem remotely phased by challenges. That, I think, makes him the perfect example. He makes no attempt to airbrush his story, to present some romantic picture of his journey to the top. Even more impressive, I think, was his lack of interest in imposing his success or status on anyone. What he really wants to do is perform well. Like other stars with humble beginnings, he’s careful not to take it all for granted, focusing instead on the task at hand.
The past two years have been professionally good for Kruise Leeming – even if the rest of the world hasn’t had the same luck. The global pandemic, the death of George Floyd and a whole host of other global events have put athletes under the microscope. Increasingly, they’re under more pressure to talk and act upon social issues. It was something I was keen to chat to Lemming about – is it a good thing, I asked? “I think it’s both a good and bad thing”, he answers.
He has a point. On the good side, the influence of sports stars has never been greater. Last year, 23-year-old Marcus Rashford forced the government to extend their free school meals scheme, putting Matt “footballers don’t do enough” Hancock and the rest of the British Government to shame. Sir Lewis Hamilton used his platform to shout about racism and racial issues in society – and Simone Biles spoke her truth on sexual assault. Long gone are days when athletes were…well… just athletes. With huge followings and platforms, they’ve become role models – and to some extent, societal leaders. Hell, we even wrote a piece suggesting Marcus Rashford was our new prime minister. The point is this: we now expect – even demand – more of our favourite sports stars. And that, too, is a bad thing.
For all the good it can bring, expecting athletes and sports stars to assume responsibility for everything, to speak on every social issue, can often trivialise said issues, reducing complex and sensitive issues to a series of tweets, TikToks and hashtags. For Leeming, the complicated relationship between having a big platform and the increased pressure to ‘speak up’ became a personal experience last year: in his country of birth, Swaziland, protests ensued over the absolute rule of King Mswati II.
“People have asked me to stand up and bring awareness to what the king’s doing”, he says – and makes a point of stating that some of that pressure comes from members of his own family. His genuine thoughts and prayers are with the people suffering – and he’s keen to stress that he’s not indifferent to the ongoing issues. A careful balance needs to be struck, though, he says, between using your platform for personal interests and political issues, and using it for advancing his profession – the main reason he has his platform in the first place.
He makes no complaints, though, as he genuinely loves and enjoys what he does. He recasts his mind back to his younger days when his coaches asked him to “look around” because only “one or two people will make it.” He realises now how true that was – and makes no attempt to take anything for granted. That’s what I liked most about Leeming. There’s a genuine sense of appreciation for the life he has. He arrogates no blame or responsibility to anyone else, and he demands the best of himself, regardless of external circumstances. He compares his life to some others he knows, striking an almost guilty tone as he states “I’m getting paid to keep in shape, play a sport I love, whilst having a laugh with my mates.”
He’s most relaxed, he says, when he’s done the preparation, and such was the feeling when he stepped onto the field for his England debut: “As soon as I got onto the field, I just felt ultimately ready.” On the point of preparation, he stresses the need to train well, leaving no room to disappoint his teammates, fans – and ultimately, himself.
Asked how he’d sum up his career so far, he offers a sentence of poetic quality: “I’ve been climbing the same mountain throughout my career – and I’m slowly starting to get a grip, I feel like I’m moving up.” As we round up our chat, I wonder what young Leeming would think of his present self. His story is inspiring, a tale of persistence and humility. That, I think, will be the recipe for his undoubted success.
Kruise Leeming is currently represented by sports agency HERO