Wallabies prop Angus Bell is thrilled to be back in the gold jersey after overcoming a long injury journey that culminated in his Test return against the Springboks.
Bell started in last week's defeat to the world champions almost four months after undergoing a remodelling of his foot to stop ongoing toe issues.
Tickets to 2024 Wallabies home Tests are available here.
His time was ended early due to a cut above his eye that required stitches and left a black eye but the 40-minute stint showed the loosehead at his world-class best.
“I really enjoyed it and it was great to see all that hard work pay off," Bell said to the media as the Wallabies headed to Argentina.
“I’m thankful I was able to return against one of the better teams in the world but still bittersweet because we came away with a loss…they’re the benchmark at the moment.
“We’re building as a team and ready for Argentina so we’re looking forward to getting there and ripping in to do the jersey proud.”
The 23-year-old has had back-to-back injuries to his toe/foot in a similar fashion, reeling away from dominant scrums in pain.
Both times happened against the Brumbies in Super Rugby action and saw Bell take a trip up to Queensland to see renowned surgeon Ben Forster in the hopes of fixing the issue.
“It was almost a foot reconstruction, remodelling my foot which was good," he explained.
“It’s giving me fewer problems and it’s a lot more comfortable. Ben Forster in Queensland did my surgery and he’s been really good and open so I talk to him frequently.
“The injury is starting to become more common just because there’s so much pressure and how low the scrums are nowadays. It’s kind of a new surgery because one of the coaches Dan Palmer did it and he didn’t have that option so I’m just lucky that medicines are a bit more advanced.”
After the surgery, Bell had to adapt his scrummaging and learn a new way to operate under scrum guru Mike Cron.
“It’s been different and feels different but at the end of the day, it’s head down, bum up and push as hard as I can to do what’s best for the team," Bell remarked.
"...Mike has been a big part of that so he’s been coming down to Sydney and been helping us."
As part of the return process, it offered up a unique opportunity for Bell to pack down with younger brother Hugo in live scrummaging drills, who made his Sydney Uni debut earlier in the year.
“It was awesome to finally pack some scrums with him which is pretty cool, it’s not every day you can say you packed with your brother so that was awesome fun," he reflected
“(Uni) were really accommodating and helped me with my rehab and step up to live scrummaging.”
Bell was excited to test himself against a fierce Argentina pack, with the first Test set to take place September 1 in Buenos Aires.
“They’re a super flashy team and obviously great at the set-piece, so that marries together really well,” Bell noted.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge and building behind Joe as well.”
