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League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Angus Bell will spend the rest of the club season with Ulster.Tom Maher/INPHO Freechange of scene 'I know it's colder than Australia': Wallabies prop Bell ready to write new chapter in Belfast Wallabies lock Will Skelton has been ruled out of Saturday’s Aviva Stadium Test with an ankle injury. 5.07pm, 10 Nov 2025 Share options BEFORE GETTING A chance to play alongside them in the United Rugby Championship and the Investec Champions Cup, Australian prop Angus Bell could find himself coming up against some of his future Ulster team-mates at the Aviva Stadium this Saturday. Bell, who is set to join Ulster on a short-term deal upon the completion of the present international window, has been a key figure in the NSW Waratahs front-row across several Super Rugby campaigns. Four of Ulster’s squad have seen game time across Ireland’s opening November internationals, and while Bell’s focus is firmly on Australia producing a positive result following their disappointing loss to Italy, he acknowledged it will be nice to make early acquaintance with his new team-mates. “It will be a great challenge. I’ve obviously been in contact with a fair few of them. A lot of the players have actually reached out, which has been quite nice. Obviously shows just how good of blokes they are,” Bell explained. “Obviously this weekend leading into it as an Australian, we’ve one job. That’s to, I guess, represent the Wallabies and also get the win. It’s exciting and it’s cool to be able to play people that you potentially could play with. Advertisement “As I said before, playing a Test match is the pinnacle of anyone’s career and there’s no bigger one than playing in the Aviva against Ireland, who are a really top team within the world.” Bell scored in Australia's defeat against Italy.Vedran Galijas / Just Pictures GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo Vedran Galijas / Just Pictures GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo / Just Pictures GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo The Wallabies will be without star lock Will Skelton, who suffered an ankle injury while in action for La Rochelle on Saturday, while James O’Connor has linked up with the squad in Dublin. Despite being primarily focused on the task at hand, Bell revealed why he has chosen to make a temporary move over to this side of the world. First capped by Australia at senior level in November 2020, he has a clause in his contract that allows him to take a brief sabbatical overseas and he will remain with Ulster from December until the end of the 2025/26 club season. “I’ve had seven really, really good years at the Waratahs, grew up watching them. I remember being at a pub with my parents having dinner when I watched the Tahs win the final, when I was 12. I’ve loved my time in Australia and obviously I just felt it was the right time to experience some change. I guess for me, I think change is the spice of life. “You learn, you meet different people, you’re under new coaches. What Ulster have is, they’ve got a really great coaching staff. I just thought, for me, experiencing something different and getting away from Australia briefly – hopefully to come back into the environment – would be great. “I’m still just 25, so just learning off those people around the world, and then obviously the URC is a pretty top competition with top players. It wasn’t a really hard decision, but it’s something I needed in my career. Thought it would be beneficial, just that bit of change.” Bell greets young Wallabies fans after the first Lions Test.Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Considering he has only lived in his native Australia up to this point, residing in Belfast for an extended period of time will represent a significant change for Bell. However, with the help of a key member of the Wallabies backroom staff and an Oscar-winning film of the recent past, he has been doing his best to get some sense of what awaits him on these shores. “Our doctor actually is from Belfast, so I talk to Gazza [Gary Mitchell] quite a lot about it. I’m not too familiar with the history and that’s something that’s exciting, to find that out. I watched ‘Belfast’ on the plane ride over, so there you go!” Bell added. “I know it’s colder than Australia, that’s for sure. I just thought obviously there’s such rich history there, which is again intriguing for me personally, and look, I just was excited at the opportunity. “I just thought that getting something different and being around new players would be something that will not reinvent my career, but something that’s just going to be a bit of a change. I’m super excited and I know I’m going to enjoy it. It’ll be awesome.” Daire Walsh Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'I know it's colder than Australia': Wallabies prop Bell ready to write new chapter in Belfast”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “'I know it's colder than Australia': Wallabies prop Bell ready to write new chapter in Belfast”. 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