Bell ready for reunion with 'friends for life'

When Australia prop Angus Bell comes up against Ireland, he will be facing some "friends for life".

The 25-year-old spent eight months in Northern Ireland playing for Ulster in the United Rugby Championship as he joined on a short-term deal from the Waratahs.

But after leaving Ulster after May's Challenge Cup final defeat by Montpellier in Bilbao, he is set for a swift reunion with some of his former team-mates.

Ireland take on the Wallabies in Sydney in their Nations Championship opener on 4 July.

Ulster have 10 players in the Ireland squad for the three opening Nations Championship matches, with the Wallabies, Japan and New Zealand.

Robert Baloucoune, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale and Nathan Doak are all backline options for Andy Farrell, while Tom O'Toole, Tom Stewart, Cormac Izuchukwu and Nick Timoney have been included in the forwards.

The Ward brothers, Zac and Bryn, have also been called up after late injuries.

Bell said "similar cultures" in Belfast and Australia helped him to settle in to his new surroundings, the "identity" was also familiar.

"They're very similar to Australians, very similar people, very similar cultures; 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, very similar as well.

"I've made friends for life from Northern Ireland and Belfast, so it'll be interesting playing those boys."

While it is unclear how many of Ulster's contingent will line out in Sydney, Bell admits it will be a strange experience to face them in the Nations Championship opener.

"We've been talking over the past three or four weeks, I only came back a week ago, so it's going to be interesting going up against them," he said.

"They're top fellas, I couldn't speak any higher of them, just like I couldn't speak any higher of the boys here at the Wallabies squad too."

Another link between Australia and Irish rugby is current Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt.

Schmidt guided Ireland to the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2018 and the title in 2014 and 2015, and he also spent three years as Leinster boss.

The 60-year-old has been head coach of Australia in 2023 and will depart the role for Les Kiss - who spent three years with Ulster from 2015-18 - at the end of the opening Nations Championship matches in July.

Having spent the past eight months embedded in Irish rugby, Bell says the effect of Schmidt can still be felt some seven years after he made way for Farrell.

Bell added that Ireland have "an amazing team" and praised how competitive they have been on the international stage.

"I think Joe, I guess from his time in Irish rugby, has really rubbed off on them," he said.

"I think our Ulster shape is pretty similar to what we do here in Australia in every team, so it's pretty cool to see that sort of transition and the way that rugby works.

"They've got some really good players, really good individuals."

Bell believes his experiences playing in the United Rugby Championship have made him a better player, particularly around the scrum due to the five different countries that are represented in the league through Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and South Africa.

He also faced opposition from England and France in the Challenge Cup.

Bell said that while the speed of the game is pretty uniform in both the northern and southern hemisphere, the scrum in the URC contrasts to Super Rugby, where is says it is "very tidy".

"There's different pictures every week, so I guess that was part of the challenge and part of the exciting factor about it, is that I didn't have to wait for the internationals to sort of get that picture," he said.

"It was just a really cool experience to be able to verse people that I wouldn't have versed if I didn't make that decision to go overseas.

"As a squad, the whole of Ulster, we were a pretty young forward pack, so to experience new things with them and try get everyone to get on the same page, it was an awesome experience as being someone who was actually one of the older players in the forward pack."