Wallabies and Waratahs prop Angus Bell is viewing his foot injury as a blessing in disguise as he targets a return for the Super Rugby Pacific opener against the ACT Brumbies.
Bell initially suffered the injury during the final Test of last July's series against England, however, was ruled out of the Spring Tour after further aggravation.
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The injury has allowed the 22-year-old to enjoy something he hasn't experienced since his rookie year: a proper pre-season.
The nature of Bell's rise saw the Sydney Uni product thrust into the Wallabies side in 2020, with COVID delaying the Rugby Championship until December.
Further COVID complications at the end of 2021 left the loosehead stuck in London after contracting it before the cancelled Barbarians game against Samoa.
“It’s been unreal. I came out of surgery early November out of my cast and slipped straight into pre-season,” Bell told reporters.
“I haven’t done a pre-season before at Super Rugby except for my rookie year so it’s been good to have that time to get that physical and mental break, upgrade that time in the gym where I feel I could do the stuff I couldn’t before so it’s been invaluable.
“As a player, it’s been unreal to get back to Super with some of my good mates and keep getting better and advancing my physical side of Rugby.”
Bell is one of several injured stars who joined the Wallabies in camp on the Gold Coast over the past week.
He has little concerns about missing the Waratahs' February 24 opener against the Brumbies, drawing off the plethora of experienced figures within the set-up as he looks to complete a quick recovery.
“The rehab group at the Wallabies is pretty big at the moment and you look at the older guys within the squad that have gone through that process and you try and learn as much as possible,” he explained.
“In Quade’s case, we both have lower leg injuries so there’s stuff around his rehab and what he does around the squad that I can take and put in place.
“There’s people in the squad with similar injuries so there’s vast amount of experience in that area that I can use to my advantage to get back on the field as quick as possible.”
