‘It’s head down, bum up and push as hard as I can’ – Wallabies forward reveals radical change to his game due to foot reconstruction

David Skippers
Angus Bell Australia v SA RC 2024 - Alamy

Wallabies prop Angus Bell takes on the Springbok defence.

Wallabies front-row Angus Bell is delighted that he has overcome an extended period on the sidelines and is back in action for his country in the international arena.

The highly rated loosehead prop returned to the playing field in Australia’s 30-12 Rugby Championship defeat against the Springboks in Perth last weekend.

This, after he spent the past four months on the sidelines following an ongoing toe injury which eventually led to him undergoing surgery in which his foot was reshaped.

Despite finishing on the losing side against the Springboks and having to leave the field after the opening half due to a cut above his eye that required stitches, Bell gave a good account of himself against the world champions.

‘Great to see all that hard work pay off’

“I really enjoyed it and it was great to see all that hard work pay off,” the 23-year-old told reporters as the Wallabies headed to Argentina to face Los Pumas in back-to-back Rugby Championship Tests in La Plata and Santa Fe.

“I’m thankful I was able to return against one of the better teams in the world but still bittersweet because we came away with a loss…they’re the benchmark at the moment.

“We’re building as a team and ready for Argentina so we’re looking forward to getting there and ripping in to do the jersey proud.”

Bell sustained damage to the ligament in his big toe twice over the past two seasons after dominant scrums in Super Rugby Pacific matches for the Waratahs against the Brumbies.

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After the second setback, he went to Queensland to see renowned surgeon Ben Forster with the aim of fixing the injury.

“It was almost a foot reconstruction, remodelling my foot which was good,” he explained.

“It’s giving me fewer problems and it’s a lot more comfortable. Ben Forster in Queensland did my surgery and he’s been really good and open so I talk to him frequently.

“The injury is starting to become more common just because there’s so much pressure and how low the scrums are nowadays. It’s kind of a new surgery because one of the coaches, Dan Palmer, did it and he didn’t have that option so I’m just lucky that medicines are a bit more advanced.”

Radical change to his scrummaging

There were concerns that Bell would not be able to scrum again once he made his recovery but he simply had to make a radical change in how he goes about his business at the set-piece and received guidance from Wallabies scrum coach Mike Cron.

“It’s been different and feels different but at the end of the day, it’s head down, bum up and push as hard as I can to do what’s best for the team,” said Bell.

“Mike has been a big part of that so he’s been coming down to Sydney and been helping us.”

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