Wallabies prop Angus Bell returns for Ireland test

Australian prop Angus Bell is preparing for a swift reunion with former teammates as his Wallabies side hosts Ireland in Sydney next week, a match that will mark the opening of the new Nations Championship for both teams. The 25-year-old loosehead recently returned from an eight-month stint with Ulster in Northern Ireland, a period he says has left him a better player and forged lasting friendships he will now set aside on the field.

The Test, scheduled for July 4 at a sold-out Allianz Stadium, will see Bell line up against several of the ten Ulster players included in Ireland's touring squad. He named backline players Robert Baloucoune, Stuart McCloskey, and Jacob Stockdale, and forwards Tom O'Toole, Tom Stewart, Cormac Izuchukwu, and Nick Timoney as former colleagues he expects to face, alongside the recently called-up Ward brothers, Zac and Bryn. Bell said the cultural similarities made his transition to Belfast seamless, describing the people as very similar to Australians in their social habits and team environment, and stating he had made friends for life.

Beyond the personal connections, Bell identified a tactical familiarity stemming from Wallabies head coach Joe...