Australia will be without the services of Angus Bell on their end-of-year tour to the northern hemisphere after it was confirmed that the front-row is sidelined with a foot injury.
He initially sustained the injury during the Wallabies’ final encounter of their three-Test series against England in Sydney in July and was ruled out for most of the matches during this year’s Rugby Championship.
The 22-year-old made his return to action during the final Bledisloe Cup Test in Auckland when he came into the squad to replace the injured Scott Sio (hamstring) as the back-up loosehead prop during the Wallabies‘ 40-14 defeat to the All Blacks.
But Wallabies officials have now confirmed that he has aggravated the injury and it requires surgery.
Bell will be determined to make a speedy recovery so that he can be fit for the start of the Waratahs‘ Super Rugby Pacific campaign which kicks off against the Brumbies at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on February 24.
“That’s the way the cookie crumbles,” Bell said via social media.
Amazing year
“Been an amazing year with some awesome memories, I’ll be back.”
Bell’s injury setback could open the door for Sio’s inclusion in Australia’s squad. The Wallabies kick off their end-of-year campaign against Scotland at Murrayfield on October 30 and Sio will be keen to prove his fitness at his new club, Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership.
“If, by the end of this week, he’s getting over jetlag and he can do a full week’s training next week, then he’s going to be in and around the 23 pretty quickly,” said Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter earlier in the week.
“It’s going to take us two or three days to get his training load correct and get him up and running. We’re not going to select him just to injure him, but he’s obviously a quality player – he was playing international rugby two or three weeks ago.”
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