Six months ago, Wallabies prop Angus Bell was left despondent at the thought his World Cup dream was over. Now, the Waratah looms as one of their key game-breakers.
The 22-year-old has already established himself as one of the best loosehead props in the world, emerging as a key piece of Australia’s future.
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Such has been his rise, it has led to James Slipper’s shift to the finishers, initially named as Eddie Jones’ first co-captain.
It’s a remarkable journey for Bell, who has had his promising career hampered by injury.
A foot injury derailed his 2022 Test season whilst he lasted 20 minutes in the Super Rugby opener against the Brumbies after re-aggravating the injury.
“I didn't think (I’d make World Cup), I thought it would be a longer injury,” Bell admits. “I did it three times. I thought the World Cup was touch and go or probably not going to be a thing that I could say that I went to but I took it day to day.
“Over that 12 months time that I only played two or three games, I just said to myself just try to get better every day, enjoy the process of it that was helped with ‘Nela and then whatever happens, happens.
“I'm just glad I'm here and be given the opportunity to get better and play games for Australia”
Whilst the injuries have limited his game time, it hasn’t stunted his growth.
Even in the limited time against the Brumbies, Bell was the standout performer and earned enough plaudits from Jones to not only keep him in the squad throughout the rehab but throw him straight back onto the bench for the Argentina Test.
A barnstorming injection was enough to earn the start for the Bledisloe Cup, where he was arguably Australia’s best with his freakish ball-carrying ability.
This has always been a strength of the young prop but forwards coach Neal Hatley was more impressed with his application to the game outside of this.
“I think everybody who's watched ‘Belly’ knows he can carry the ball. For me, it's the other bits that I've found really exciting about what he's doing,” Hatley explained.
“I think it was his best defence against France. He made the most carries in our forward pack with 14 carries but he was good defensively, much better in the mauls and the drives. The areas that he's been targeting, and he's been really working his plums off, we’re starting to see real good transfer, which is great for him developing those other parts of the game like his scrum.
“For me, the most pleasing aspect is the work he's doing off the ball. That’s what this team is going to need and it's what the players in this team value, not just what you do for those brief moments on the ball, but how you add value throughout the game off the ball. I think that's where he's making his biggest strides.”
Bell’s importance continues to grow, with the roles almost reversing with Slipper as the Brumby deals with a foot ligament issue.
“He's been in and around. He hasn't done as much on feet but we're hoping on Monday, he'll be available to train with everybody,” Hatley added on Slipper
“There’s eight, nine weeks to go here and we need to be not cautious, but we need to be aware of the situation that he's a veteran player and make sure that we give him the very best opportunity to have a huge impact on the squad.”
He’ll get a perfect chance to impress against Georgia, renowned for their scrummaging ability.
“They've got a lot of props in the French rugby so I like watching those games and they're obviously big men,” Bell said.
“Obviously we already knew that we were playing them the first game and they've knocked off a few tier-one teams this year so they're going to be no easy feat.
“At set piece, they're very good so we'll just keep preparing. We prepare as we go as hard as we can.
“I'm just excited for the opportunity and to play in the World Cup is a special experience so we're really looking forward to it.”
