Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

‘Prop wasn’t really working’: Wallaby Angus Bell opens up on injury struggle

Angus Bell of the Wallabies heads to the locker room at the half time break during The Rugby Championship match between Australia Wallabies and South Africa Springboks at Optus Stadium on August 17, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

Angus Bell has opened up on “a hard year for myself” after the Wallaby suffered a devastating toe injury during Super Rugby Pacific. The 23-year-old was helped from the field on April 6 during the NSW Waratahs’ heavy loss to the ACT Brumbies in Canberra.

ADVERTISEMENT

That was Bell’s third foot injury in as many years. It sparked a bit of a debate with Stephen Hoiles initially questioned on Stan Sport whether the loosehead prop should explore the idea of potentially shifting to a new position.

Waratahs and Wallabies utility forward Jed Holloway also chimed in before a clash with the Crusaders in Sydney, explaining that Bell could be a “world-class” option for any rugby team in the backrow.

Video Spacer
Video Spacer

But when Bell returned to competitive rugby last Saturday for the Wallabies’ clash with the world champion Springboks at Perth’s Optus Stadium, the enforcer didn’t line up in the loose forwards alongside the likes of Rob Valetini, Harry Wilson or Carlo Tizzano.

Coach Joe Schmidt picked Bell to start in the familiar No. 1 jersey, and the front-rower didn’t look out of place during an impactful 40-minute period. With Bell returning with only a cut to show for the brutality of battle, the Wallaby looked back on how tough 2024 has been.

“It’s an honour to wear that jersey and represent the people that you love. I love Australia and I love playing for the Wallabies,” Angus Bell said on Stan Sports’ Rugby Heaven.

“It’s been a hard year for myself to sit on the sidelines for both the Tahs and watch the first Tests from the sideline.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I’m really excited again to be a part of the squad and I just want to add, wherever I can, value to the team.

“I was lucky enough to meet one of the top surgeons in Australia, which is a massive turning point,” he added later. “Ben Forster, up in Queensland, who’s done a lot of the boys’ serious injuries and has always had positive results.

Related

“All those things rush through your head of where you’re going to be, what you’re going to do, and obviously at the time loosehead prop wasn’t really working for me. I had a few hiccups and then had 15 months during the World Cup where I was injury free.

“I feel like the surgery I had and the rehab I had was so extensive that hopefully this is just a thing of the past…. Hopefully that’s over and we can move forward. I’m just excited to play with some of my best mates and represent the country.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Bell suffered what looked like a fairly nasty cut against South Africa on Australia’s west coast, so coach Joe Schmidt decided to replace the prop at half-time. But it would be incredibly confusing not to see more of Bell in the Test arena over the next few weeks.

The prop has been included in the Wallabies’ 35-man squad for two Tests against Los Pumas in Argentina. Taniela Tupou and Isaac Kailea are among the other front rowers selected – with both men also signing on with Bell’s Waratahs for next year’s Super Rugby Pacific season.

Australia are “looking at the positives” after back-to-back defeats to South Africa. The Wallabies had started their new era under coach Joe Schmidt with three wins from as many Tests through the July series, but the record now stands at 3-2 for the year.

Their next challenge won’t be an easy one. Argentina are riding a wave of confidence after stunning New Zealand 38-30 in Wellington earlier this month, and while they were beaten in Auckland last weekend, the Pumas will be eager to bounce back at home.

“Joe’s just looking to build habits,” Bell explained when asked about Joe Schmidt.

“We’ve never had a coach like coach – (he’s) very different to what we’ve had in the past and he’s very methodical, very driven and he always wants the best for the team and for the players.

“We’re building slowly and we’re going step by step, one foot in front of the other.

“We had the three good performances at the start of the year and obviously, coming to the Springboks, we know where we sort of sit now on our progression of where we want to get to.”

ADVERTISEMENT

HSBC SVNS Singapore 2025 | Day Two Men's Highlights

HSBC SVNS Singapore 2025 | Day Two Women's Highlights

Jet Lag: The biggest challenge facing international sports? | The Report

Boks Office | Episode 39 | The Investec Champions Cup is back

Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry? | New Zealand & Australia | Sevens Wonders | Episode 5

Kobelco Kobe Steelers vs Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

The Rise of Kenya | The Report

The Fixture: How This Rugby Rivalry Has Lasted 59 Years

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

A
Andrea Irvine 1 hour ago
Ulster go down fighting in Champions Cup defeat to Bordeaux

I can rewire a human brain, course through the most sensitive neural pathways, and restore life with steady hands and a sharp scalpel. But it would appear none of those prepared me for the horror of a hardware wallet that had decided it wanted to self-destruct. It had been years since my Ledger device had sat comfortably in my drawer, unvexed and pristine, like a relic from my earlier Bitcoin investment days. Then came the fateful evening when I decided to switch it on just to check on my stash. That is when I was greeted by an error message so incomprehensible that it could as well have been written in ancient hieroglyphics. At first, I kept calm. I had been in life-and-death situations before, so surely, I could troubleshoot a problem with my wallet. Rebooting? Nothing. Firmware reset? Even worse. With every attempt, my precious $680,000 worth of Bitcoin seemed to slip further from my grasp. The real panic set in when I realized that I had stored my recovery phrase somewhere "safe"-so safe that even I couldn't remember where it was. Hours of frantic searching, multiple YouTube tutorials, and a last-ditch effort to reach out to Ledger support resulted in one grim conclusion: "Your funds may be irretrievable." As a neurosurgeon, I’m used to bad news—but this? Unacceptable. That is when I discovered TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY. A little skeptical I was- if they couldn't help me, a manufacturer of the device, then how would anyone else? I had nothing to lose. The moment I reached out to them, I knew I had done the right thing: I was professional, transparent, and confident that they could recover my lost Bitcoin. They performed some kind of digital wallet emergency surgery, getting everything back in six days. Through what can only be described as magic, by way of forensic techniques, they bypassed corruption and extracted my private keys and every Satoshi, to boot. If it stopped there, that would've been great; then they walked me through how to properly secure my assets going forward more "too safe to find" backups. I may be the expert in the operating room, but when it comes to resuscitating a dead crypto wallet, TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY is your team on call. Cold storage has failed; don't try to self-operate, just get the pros in before your Bitcoin flatlines. VISIT THEM ONEMAIL: Techcybersforcerecovery@cyberservices.comTELEGRAM: @TECHCYBERFORCWhatsApp: +1 561 726 36 97

0 Go to comments
A
Andrea Irvine 1 hour ago
Don't get out over your skis on the Highlanders

I can rewire a human brain, course through the most sensitive neural pathways, and restore life with steady hands and a sharp scalpel. But it would appear none of those prepared me for the horror of a hardware wallet that had decided it wanted to self-destruct. It had been years since my Ledger device had sat comfortably in my drawer, unvexed and pristine, like a relic from my earlier Bitcoin investment days. Then came the fateful evening when I decided to switch it on just to check on my stash. That is when I was greeted by an error message so incomprehensible that it could as well have been written in ancient hieroglyphics. At first, I kept calm. I had been in life-and-death situations before, so surely, I could troubleshoot a problem with my wallet. Rebooting? Nothing. Firmware reset? Even worse. With every attempt, my precious $680,000 worth of Bitcoin seemed to slip further from my grasp. The real panic set in when I realized that I had stored my recovery phrase somewhere "safe"-so safe that even I couldn't remember where it was. Hours of frantic searching, multiple YouTube tutorials, and a last-ditch effort to reach out to Ledger support resulted in one grim conclusion: "Your funds may be irretrievable." As a neurosurgeon, I’m used to bad news—but this? Unacceptable. That is when I discovered TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY. A little skeptical I was- if they couldn't help me, a manufacturer of the device, then how would anyone else? I had nothing to lose. The moment I reached out to them, I knew I had done the right thing: I was professional, transparent, and confident that they could recover my lost Bitcoin. They performed some kind of digital wallet emergency surgery, getting everything back in six days. Through what can only be described as magic, by way of forensic techniques, they bypassed corruption and extracted my private keys and every Satoshi, to boot. If it stopped there, that would've been great; then they walked me through how to properly secure my assets going forward more "too safe to find" backups. I may be the expert in the operating room, but when it comes to resuscitating a dead crypto wallet, TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY is your team on call. Cold storage has failed; don't try to self-operate, just get the pros in before your Bitcoin flatlines. VISIT THEM ONEMAIL: Techcybersforcerecovery@cyberservices.comTELEGRAM: @TECHCYBERFORCWhatsApp: +1 561 726 36 97

4 Go to comments
A
Andrea Irvine 4 hours ago
Blues lose All Black for season ahead of Hurricanes derby

I can rewire a human brain, course through the most sensitive neural pathways, and restore life with steady hands and a sharp scalpel. But it would appear none of those prepared me for the horror of a hardware wallet that had decided it wanted to self-destruct. It had been years since my Ledger device had sat comfortably in my drawer, unvexed and pristine, like a relic from my earlier Bitcoin investment days. Then came the fateful evening when I decided to switch it on just to check on my stash. That is when I was greeted by an error message so incomprehensible that it could as well have been written in ancient hieroglyphics. At first, I kept calm. I had been in life-and-death situations before, so surely, I could troubleshoot a problem with my wallet. Rebooting? Nothing. Firmware reset? Even worse. With every attempt, my precious $680,000 worth of Bitcoin seemed to slip further from my grasp. The real panic set in when I realized that I had stored my recovery phrase somewhere "safe"-so safe that even I couldn't remember where it was. Hours of frantic searching, multiple YouTube tutorials, and a last-ditch effort to reach out to Ledger support resulted in one grim conclusion: "Your funds may be irretrievable." As a neurosurgeon, I’m used to bad news—but this? Unacceptable. That is when I discovered TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY. A little skeptical I was- if they couldn't help me, a manufacturer of the device, then how would anyone else? I had nothing to lose. The moment I reached out to them, I knew I had done the right thing: I was professional, transparent, and confident that they could recover my lost Bitcoin. They performed some kind of digital wallet emergency surgery, getting everything back in six days. Through what can only be described as magic, by way of forensic techniques, they bypassed corruption and extracted my private keys and every Satoshi, to boot. If it stopped there, that would've been great; then they walked me through how to properly secure my assets going forward more "too safe to find" backups. I may be the expert in the operating room, but when it comes to resuscitating a dead crypto wallet, TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY is your team on call. Cold storage has failed; don't try to self-operate, just get the pros in before your Bitcoin flatlines. VISIT THEM ONEMAIL: Techcybersforcerecovery@cyberservices.comTELEGRAM: @TECHCYBERFORCWhatsApp: +1 561 726 36 97

3 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Why NZR's Ineos settlement may be the most important victory they'll enjoy this year Why NZR's Ineos settlement may be the most important victory they'll enjoy this year
Search