The Dragons overturned a 20-10 deficit to run out 24-23 victors against high-flying Glasgow on Sunday afternoon, with a brace of late scores from Cory Hill and Ross Wardle seeing them record a first league success of 2014.
Bell played 45 minutes at Rodney Parade, making a major impression on the Dragons faithful having been surprisingly called in to sure up a struggling front row. The 39-year-old former England international officially called time on his career at the end of the 2011/12 season and had no intentions of a return until former team-mate Kingsley Jones rang him last Tuesday with a setpiece SOS.
And, while he needed plenty of encouragement to initially agree a return to the professional fold, Bell admits that the buzz of victory and the roar of the Rodney Parade crowd has persuaded him that he made the right call in giving Jones the answer he was after.
“It brought 18 years of professional rugby flooding back again. I don’t want to sound like a punch-drunk boxer but it’s nice to come out of retirement and get a win like that,” Bell, who has previously played for Ebbw Vale and Pontypridd, as well as Sale and Bath, told the South Wales Argus.
“Winning by a point and hearing the crowd chanting, singing and shouting gave me shivers down the spine at the end of the game.
“I got a call from Kingsley last Tuesday morning. I’ve known him since Ebbw Vale in 1995 and then Pontypridd. I saw his number on the phone thinking that it would just be about a catch-up for a few beers but he asked me if I fancied played. I thought he was taking the Mickey but he explained the front row injuries and I said immediately that I couldn’t do it, that I’m too old and that I hadn’t played for two years.
“After the call, the Mrs asked me why I had said no and told me to just have a think about it. Then ‘Kings’ phoned back to make sure, as he does, and I agreed to a training session. I said if I looked ridiculous or if I fall down and do a fetlock then he’d have to find someone else. But I came down and they were a really good bunch of lads and, to be honest, I got the buzz back. A couple of sessions later and I was starting at Rodney Parade – it was all a bit surreal.”
Bell will be available for the Dragons’ trip to Ulster on Friday after agreeing a short-term deal until the end of the season but he won’t be expected to train full time with the region. The five-times capped England forward is currently head coach at Lydney and is only two weeks into a new job as a mortgage advisor and he intends to continue combining all three roles.
“I’m not full-time with the Dragons and I have a job as a mortgage adviser in Bristol. I am not expected to be at every session and that helps my body,” added Bell.
“I turned down a number of offers when I retired because I decided the training was too much and I couldn’t physically keep up any more. I couldn’t train Monday to Friday then play on the Sunday.
“It’s just game by game and if the other guys come back then it’ll be time. It all fits quite nicely and it’s great to help out.”
