BORN in Eswatini, Kruise Leeming has enjoyed a remarkable rise to become a professional rugby league player.
Eswatini, formerly named Swaziland, is the last remaining absolute monarchy in Africa but has been dominated by poverty over the years.
Landlocked in southern Africa, as of 2018, Eswatini had the 12th lowest life expectancy in the world at just 58 years – but it is where his parents, Khabo and Martyn Leeming, met.
The pair ended up working on cruise ships together, hence Leeming’s name.
“They worked on cruise ships dealing cards. My mum fell pregnant on a cruise ship and that’s where I got my name – I was conceived on a cruise ship,” Leeming told the Daily Telegraph.
“I came to England when I was three years old. I used to go back to Swaziland every year to see my mum’s side of the family.
“I was schooled in England. The main reason I came to England is because the opportunities for work for my parents was loads better.
“It is like a third world country over there and poverty stricken.”
But tragedy struck when the hooker was just eight years old.
“When I was eight he (my dad) got throat cancer and passed away,” Leeming told the Daily Telegraph
“My mum was pregnant with my youngest sister at the time. My dad tried to hang on for her to be born but he didn’t make it. My youngest sister is named Marty after my dad.
“I remember it very vividly. I remember the day we got told (he had cancer), him being ill, playing outside and him being ill inside. I knew he was on his last days.
“My dad loved me to bits and took me everywhere with him. I was his first boy.
“Losing him has probably made me the man I am today. Nobody ever wants to lose a parent, but I believe things happen for a reason and it’s made me able to deal with adversity loads better.
“I don’t think I’ll ever go through anything as bad as that.”
Now, Leeming has the opportunity to make a name for himself in the NRL following his exit from Leeds Rhinos and subsequent signing with the Gold Coast Titans.
The hooker has signed a short-term deal until the end of the 2023 season and so has just five months to show what he is made of.
“At some point in your career you’ve got to back yourself,” Leeming continued.
“We play a sport without any real security. You sign for two or three years and that’s about it.
“It was the right time for me to back myself. I’m 27 and young enough to take these risks. I’ve not got a family or young kids.
“At some point everyone’s had to back themselves to make a good living out of rugby league. This is my time to do so.
“It is a bit of a risk but it’s a calculated risk and hopefully everything goes well for me.”
