September 27, 2026 — 12:30pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. AAA Angus Bell was 16 when he told his father and former Wallaby Mark Bell that he wanted to become a professional rugby player. Just four years later, he made his
Angus Bell was 16 when he told his father and former Wallaby Mark Bell that he wanted to become a professional rugby player.
Just four years later, he made his Test debut against South Africa. Bell stood up to the Springboks that day on the Gold Coast, and the Wallabies won 28-26.
Part of Bell’s success as a Test prop comes from never being fully satisfied with his work. Every time he takes the field, there is a new point to prove.
“That’s probably one of the downsides, mentally, of being a rugby player: you always want to be better, and enough’s not enough,” Bell said. “My goal is to make the Wallabies, to win a World Cup and be the best team in the world.
“That’s obviously the main goal for everyone here, and then to be the best [loosehead] in the world is a goal of mine.”
When you suggest to Bell he is among the world’s best loosehead props, he politely disagrees.
“I don’t think so, yet. I feel like you just need to holistically improve on every facet of rugby as much as you can,” he said.
“I’m still 25 years old, so just getting better at scrummaging and in the loose again, getting better with my work off the ball and just the little things that I learn off Slips [James Slipper].”
Bell arrived at Newington College on a cricket scholarship, before a growth spurt sealed his fate in rugby. The doubts that surrounded him on the field as a teenager helped drive him as a professional player.
“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.
“But I just try and do what’s best for me, my family, my partner, and just try and put my best foot forward, which is important.”
From a young age, Bell assembled a front-row brain trust. Slipper and Scott Sio helped to welcome him into the Wallabies fold. They spent hours working with him to improve his scrummaging.
Later, Mike Cron, the veteran scrum coach, was on the end of the phone during Bell’s successful sabbatical last season at Ulster. But his father remains a key influence.
“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. As you know, being a prop and being 18, playing Super Rugby [for the Waratahs] isn’t the easiest thing, so having his guidance was really good …
“It’s just been a lot of help from other players too, and that’s something I’m hoping to give back to someone who’s coming through inevitably.”
The prop hasn’t written off a return to Europe, but has settled back into life in Australia with his focus on next year’s World Cup and playing for the Waratahs under Michael Cheika.
“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’m signed to the end of the World Cup and I’m really excited to get into what’s going to be a busy couple of years, whatever the future holds, it holds. I can’t control that.
“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’s focus remains on taking on South Africa this Sunday, but he has been keeping a close eye on the Roosters in the NRL, and Angus Crichton who he believes will have a significant impact in Australian rugby when he switches codes at the end of this season.
“Obviously, the transition’s tough, but someone like Angus, who’s a great athlete, he’ll go great, whatever position he plays, and we’re really looking forward to having him in rugby after he wins a comp at the Chooks,” Bell said.
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