Why Wallaby Bell eyes friends a little differently, if just for 80 minutes

Prop Angus Bell surges in for the try against France in last autumn's test match at Stade de France in Saint-Denis. Pic: Thibaud Moritz, Getty Images

Trading the Sydney sun for a wetter life in Belfast wouldn't be at the top of the list for most Australians to travel to, but for Angus Bell, the rampaging Test loose-head prop, the brief spell at Ulster proved to be just what was needed to regain his love for rugby.

Frustrated and left wanting more after a difficult period in Australian rugby, including sackings, dreaded results and major injuries, Bell surprised many in Australia when he decided to take up an opportunity to leave the Waratahs for a season.

On the advice of his agent, Clinton Schifcofske, who enjoyed a stint at Ulster almost two decades earlier, he took up an opportunity to follow the footsteps of the former back and ex-lock Justin Harrison, and arrived in Belfast on the cusp of winter. He never looked back.

“They’re very similar people, very similar cultures, you know, they love a beer, they love going to the pub, they love hanging out, it’s very similar to what the Australian identity is, even around the change room,” Bell said. “So I’ve made friends for life from Northern Ireland and Belfast.” 

Bell will put friendships aside over the next week as the world-class prop prepares to take on Ireland next weekend at a packed Allianz Stadium.

Just how many of the 10 Ulster men end up making Andy Farrell’s side remains to be seen, but chances are that he’ll pack down against Leinster stalwart Tadhg Furlong.

Although Joe Schmidt won’t name his squad internally for another couple of days, Bell is likely to start after landing back on Australian soil more than a week ago. James Slipper and Aidan Ross will vie for the other spot.

Saturday’s hit out at North Sydney Oval will go a long way to cementing Schmidt’s thinking for the clash against his old nation, with several players, including centres Hunter Paisami and Len Ikitau, needing to impress to be firmly in the hunt for the crucial Nations Championship Test on July 4.

They’re not the only ones who will be keen to impress either, with positions, especially in the forwards, up for grabs.

Incumbent captain and No. 8 Harry Wilson is another who will need to put his best foot forward, especially with Schmidt considering whether it’s time to install Fraser McReight as his captain.

Bell’s return is much welcomed. The Waratahs missed his carrying and presence right throughout Super Rugby, and the Wallabies, even with the prop’s return, face several of the same challenges.

Although Ireland aren’t the biggest pack themselves, few squads worldwide are as well-drilled as Farrell’s men.

What could prove to be the difference is how the respective midfields shape up.

Bell especially knows the threat coming, having played alongside centre Stuart McCloskey. Bundee Aki, the veteran Irish midfielder, who signed off from his stint in Super Rugby 13 years ago with a title with the Chiefs, is another hulking presence to consider.

Next weekend’s clash in Sydney will be the first between the two nations since Schmidt’s Irish pipped Michael Cheika’s side 20-16 to seal a 2-1 come-from-behind series win.

And while Ireland haven’t lost to the Wallabies since, with the men in gold slipping to eighth on the World Rugby rankings during that time having lost eight of their past ten Tests in 2025, Bell said they were confident of quickly recapturing the same sort of form that saw them topple Rassie Erasmus’s Springboks in Johannesburg last August.

“We’ve got a fresh squad again, different players coming in and out, and I just feel like as a team we’re building towards getting those performances that we really love and that we deserve, because we do work really hard in here,” Bell said.

“And you guys have seen glimpses of it, we’ve just got to try and tighten that, our best performances which would be the South Africa Ellis Park (win), to more poor performances where you know it goes wrong.

“We just need to tighten that gap because we know as individual players we’ve got the talent definitely in the room to compete with the best teams in the world.”