The return of former Wallabies captain Will Skelton has been welcomed by fellow forward Angus Bell as he prepares for his first appearance in the gold jersey since their World Cup disappointment.
Skelton will link up with the group in the coming days after helping La Rochelle to victory over Paris.
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The 32-year-old powered over for a try in unconventional fashion during the 35-18 win.
Skelton found himself collecting a cross-field kick on the wing from flyhalf Ihaia West, showing great skill to dummy and carry three defenders over the line.
Whilst his new-found finishing ability on the wing is a bonus, Bell and the Wallabies are excited about what Skelton can bring to their improving set-piece.
“Will's a very good player and obviously his set-piece is world class, that’s one of Will's points of difference and you can see that when he plays over in France too," Bell said before their trip to the UK.
“It's exciting times to potentially have him and ‘Nela (Tupou) together which is almost over 300 kilos on the right side of your scrum. It's a nice thing to be able to have and tap into.
“As a bloke that's on the left (loosehead), it's obviously exciting because the scrum is helped immensely by Will's inclusion. Whoever's in that position, obviously we're looking to do a job. Whoever Joe decides to pick will do that job for us.”
It comes as Bell conceded the loss of the skipper alongside Taniela Tupou had a massive effect on the group during last year's World Cup.
Skelton and Tupou went down within 24 hours of each other during the build-up to the loss to Fiji, their first to the side in almost 70 years.
“It was pretty huge, I'm not going to lie,” Bell conceded.
“It was a pretty tough week. On the Monday we lost ‘Nela with a hamstring injury and the next day, at the start of the session, we lost Will with a calf. We lost a massive part of our scrum and a massive part of our team.
“Will was our captain and ‘Nela you look to him and our scrum to give you energy. It was a huge loss.
“Players then had to fill in in different positions that they weren't used to. Slips is one of the best loose heads Australia's ever produced and he had to go play tight end at a World Cup, which isn't ideal.
“It did have a massive effect. Those boys have worked really hard in the gym to rehab those injuries and I'm just looking forward to having them all on the field at once."
