Bell lifts lid on Wallabies’ high standards: ‘When we beat the Lions…’

When Australia rallied to defeat the British & Irish Lions 22-12 in Sydney on August 2, the group still had “hard conversations” in the pursuit of further growth – it’s a constant within a professional environment like the Wallabies, whether they win or lose.

After an all-time classic Lions Series clash at the MCG, the Wallabies bounced back on a rainy night in the Harbour City, as they avoided a series sweep. It was a special occasion for the Wallabies, who backed that result up with another spectacular triumph later that month.

In the opening round of The Rugby Championship, Australia trailed two-time defending World Cup winners South Africa 22-0. While the Wallabies were down, they weren’t out, piling on 38 unanswered points to win at Johannesburg’s Emirates Airline Park.

But again, it wasn’t a perfect performance.

The Wallabies have only won two of their last eight matches, coming off a 26-19 Quilter Nations Series defeat to Italy. In a high-performance environment led by coach Joe Schmidt, the Wallabies see the value in honest conversations, as they chase an upset win against Ireland.

“We have those conversations, even when we win. I just briefly remember after the third Lions Test when we beat the Lions, there were still hard conversations happening,” Wallabies prop Angus Bell told reporters in Dublin.

“It’s being in a professional environment and being with a team that holds high standards, even after a really great game at Ellis Park for example, there were still opportunities out there for us to be even better and put more pressure on and exert ourselves on the other team.

“Every game, win, loss or draw, no game is perfect as we all know.

“This week was tough, this morning was really tough, but as I said before it’s about not taking it personally and just trying to get better. As a group with our connected we are, we do that every week, week in, week out.”

Bell packed down at loosehead prop in the Wallabies run-on side, joining Matt Faessler and Taniela Tupou in the front row against the Azzurri. Bell made four tackles and carried the ball six times, a fairly quiet performance on a difficult night for the Wallabies.

Code-hopper Carter Gordon put the Australians into the lead with a runaway try in the 50^th minute, with Andrew Kellaway adding the extras off the goal-kicking tee. But the match’s momentum swung in favour of the Azzurri in a big way soon after.

Louis Lynagh scored with about 20 minutes left, before the ref showed Joseph-Auksuo Suaalii a yellow card for a high shot in the lead-up to the winger’s try. Former Melbourne Rebels flyer Monty Ioane added another five points to Italy’s lead three minutes later, putting them in front.

Italy hadn’t led since midway through the first half, with two penalty goals from fly-half Paolo Garbisi giving the hosts a 6-0 lead. Fast-forward to the final quarter of the match, the Italians held on for a famous win – their second over the Wallabies in three years.

“I’d be lying if I said we weren’t disappointed. Every time you pull on a Wallabies jersey and represent your country and your people back home, it’s incredibly special,” Bell said.

“We missed a lot of opportunities out there but all credit goes to Italy, they took all their opportunities, they were hungry and hard on the ball, and they executed extremely well.

“No one in the group enjoyed that change room after. I guess that just fuels the hunger to go out there and stick to our systems and then build into a really good performance this weekend against Ireland.

“It’s been alluded to everywhere that Ireland are a top-three nation in the world and they’ve seriously come a long way and are now a real powerhouse within rugby. We’re just excited for the challenge and to right a few wrongs and take the opportunities that present themselves this weekend.”

The Wallabies have two more matches to play before their international campaign comes to an end, starting with Ireland this weekend in Dublin. Australia lost a thriller last year at the Aviva Stadium, falling by just three points.

In their final attempt to surge up the rankings ahead of the Rugby World Cup Draw early next month, the Wallabies will face France in less than two weeks. As Bell explained, this is a Wallabies side that’s desperate to end their season with some wins.

“We’re putting heaps of emphasis on our growth and getting better each week,” he added.

“Some execution errors really affected us on the weekend and they’re things we’re really trying to fix but we’re excited for the weekend. Any challenge is a challenge… it’s a privilege every time you pull on that jersey.

“We want to get a result this weekend and we know these next two games are really important for us as a group and leading into the future. We’re going to be ready and put our best foot forward to get wins in both those Tests.”