Angus Bell’s rise to the Wallabies engine room began with a cricket scholarship and has taken him to the brink of a World Cup campaign. The 25-year-old prop is now focused on Sunday’s meeting with South Africa while continuing to set himself the highest targets in international rugby.
Bell was 16 when he told his father, former Wallaby Mark Bell, that he wanted to become a professional rugby player. Four years later, he made his Test debut against the Springboks on the Gold Coast, helping Australia to a 28-26 victory.
His route into the sport was not straightforward. Bell arrived at Newington College on a cricket scholarship, but a growth spurt ultimately shaped his future. The doubts he encountered as a teenager remain part of the motivation behind his continued development.
“There are always people that sometimes doubt whether you can do it or not,” Bell said. “I was not always a huge kid. I was always on the bigger side, but not big or tall. I was quite a fat kid, a bigger, broader kid, we’ll say.”
Bell has since established himself as an important figure in the Wallabies front row, but he insists he has not yet reached the level he wants. His ambitions extend beyond winning a place in Australia’s side, with becoming the world’s leading loosehead prop among his personal goals.
“That’s probably one of the downsides, mentally, of being a rugby player: you always want to be better, and enough’s not enough,” he said. “My goal is to make the Wallabies, to win a World Cup and be the best team in the world.”
When told he was already among the best loosehead props in the world, Bell rejected the suggestion.
“I don’t think so, yet,” he said. “I feel like you just need to holistically improve on every facet of rugby as much as you can.”
He said he was still working on his scrummaging, his play in the loose and his work away from the ball, while learning from experienced Wallabies prop James Slipper.
Bell’s development has been supported by a group of front-row mentors. Slipper and Scott Sio helped him settle into the Wallabies environment and spent hours working with him on his scrummaging. Veteran scrum coach Mike Cron also remained available by phone during Bell’s successful sabbatical with Ulster last season.
His father’s influence has been equally important. Mark Bell warned him that choosing rugby as a career would involve significant sacrifice, while helping guide him through the demands of playing Super Rugby for the Waratahs at 18.
“Whenever I said I wanted to make this my career, Dad said, ‘Now you’ve committed to that, it’s not going to be easy and there are a lot of sacrifices’,” Bell said.
“He then just pushed me to become better. I was lucky to have his guidance through my younger years.”
Angus Bell keeps Australia and World Cup ambitions in focus
Bell has not ruled out returning to Europe, but he has settled back into life in Australia and is preparing for a demanding period with the Wallabies and the Waratahs, who are now coached by Michael Cheika.
He is contracted until the end of the World Cup and said his immediate priority was to perform for Australia and win as many matches as possible ahead of next year’s tournament.
“You never know what the future holds, but I love rugby in Australia. I love the Wallabies and I do love the Tahs, too,” Bell said.
“I’ve just got to try and play the best footy and win as many games as possible for the Wallabies to put us in good stead for next year.”
Bell is also looking forward to the arrival of Angus Crichton in Australian rugby after the Roosters forward completes his switch from the NRL. He believes the cross-code move will test Crichton, but expects the athlete to make a strong impression regardless of his position.
“Obviously, the transition’s tough, but someone like Angus, who’s a great athlete, he’ll go great, whatever position he plays,” Bell said.
