Australia’s best prop Angus Bell doesn’t want to come off the bench. Waratahs coach Darren Coleman has a simple explanation for why he will.
After two losses from their opening three matches, the Waratahs have stressed the need to rebound strongly in their third straight game against New Zealand opponents. Bell played 191 of a possible 240 minutes over the opening three rounds after missing all but 22 minutes of last season due to a foot injury.
He was one of the Wallabies’ best in 2023 and finished second in John Eales Medal polling behind winner Rob Valetini.Waratahs and Wallabies prop Angus Bell goes about his business at training.Asked if he’d been given a reason for his demotion to the bench, Bell replied: “I’ll let Darren explain that. You can hammer him about that.”It will be just the second time Bell hasn’t started a Waratahs match he has been available forsince the beginning of 2021. In a statement provided by the Waratahs, Coleman explained that he wanted to maximise Bell’s impact by injecting him late in the match. “Belly is the premier prop in this club and will be a long-term franchise player for us,” Coleman said. “He always plays the majority of minutes in our loose-head rotation and that will continue this week. “The only change will be that it will be the back end of the game and not from the start. This is designed to provide us with an injection of impact as we look to finish the match strongly.”The Waratahs will also be without young gun fullback Max Jorgensen, who is weighing up his future in the code after meeting with Sydney Roosters officials about a switch to the 13-man game. The Roosters have said no contract offer has been made. Waratahs and Wallabies centre Izaia Perese is looking increasingly unlikely to be at NSW next year as his representatives hold discussions with UK clubs about a move to the northern hemisphere.“Honestly, if you want to go play ping pong, that’s up to you,” Bell said. “All we can do is just concentrate on what we can do as a team and if someone makes a decision as a person you wish them best of luck. That doesn’t really affect the team. It’s just all outside noise.” Away from rugby, Bell works for What Ability; a NDIS-registered disability support service. Several What Ability participants attended Waratahs training on Thursday at Daceyville. “Some families with disabled children or disabled family members … they can’t enjoy life how it is,” Bell said. “Obviously, there’s glimpses where life is beautiful but if we can take away a bit of that time where they don’t have to look after their son or daughter 24/7, it’s something that just makes me happy. I know I’m doing something good, and I’m helping other people.” Mark Nawaqanitawase signs an autograph at Waratahs training alongside NSW women’s skipper Piper Duck.Charli Jacoby will tell you cheerleading and rugby union have a lot in common. And the Chicago prop, set to become the first American to play in Australia’s rebranded Super Rugby Women’s, would know. Jacoby was a 20-year-old student at Ohio’s Kent State University when her classmates, who had some rugby experience, convinced her to ditch the pom poms and pack into a scrum. “You’d be surprised how much it translates,” the 34-year-old said ahead of the Queensland Reds’ grand final rematch with Fijiana Drua on Sunday at Ballymore.“The guys holding up the girls in cheerleading, it’s like a lineout ... lots of teamwork and coordination. “The girls on my floor at Kent State told me to come along that day, and it was a lot of fun. I never knew rugby existed.” Jacoby then scoured YouTube to learn how to scrum and 14 years later she is a 24-capped American prop who has played in a World Cup and in England’s Premier 15 with Exeter and Loughborough. The qualified primary school teacher plans to retire from playing after the next World Cup and transition into coaching as the country prepares to host the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2031 and women’s event in 2033. Former Reds women’s assistant coach Sione Fukofuka is now the USA women’s head coach while Wallaroos fullback Lori Cramer has returned to the Reds from the NSW Waratahs after a season in Exeter with Jacoby. “I love everything set piece, I love defence,” Jacoby said. “Coming here, I joke that when I leave Australia - it’s less structured than in England - I better have some footwork because I’m so used to running hard and straight.“To play here and take home all I learn ... we don’t have many coaches who have been in high-performance environments like this.Meanwhile, Waratahs captain Piper Duck says her side is eager to rebound after a shock semi-final loss last year to Fijiana Drua. NSW square off against the Brumbies women’s side on Saturday at Allianz Stadium before the Waratahs men take on the Blues. “That was our first time being kicked out in a semi-final, so it definitely hurt,” Duck said. “It’s made us hungrier and more eager to get out there and show everyone in Australia what we can do.”
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