J. W. Bell
| Full name | John-Wessel Bell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 18 January 1990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cape Town, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 80 kg (12 st 8 lb; 176 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Eldoraigne High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University of Pretoria | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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John-Wessel Bell is a professional rugby union player who plays for Spanish División de Honor side CR El Salvador. Born in South Africa, he played for the Spain national rugby union team.[1][2]
Bell is a utility back who can play as a full-back, wing or fly-half.
He was a member of the Pumas side that won the Vodacom Cup for the first time in 2015, beating Western Province 24–7 in the final.[3] Bell made seven appearances during the season, scoring one try.
He signed a contract to join Johannesburg-based side the Golden Lions prior to the 2016 season.[4]
After the 2016 Currie Cup, Bell joined Spanish División de Honor side Valladolid RAC until 2022 when he signed for the city's rival team, CR El Salvador.[5][6]
On 23 November 2019, it debuted with the Spanish National Team in a test match against Hong Kong in the National Stadium Complutense.[7] With the selection contested several tournaments of the Rugby Europe International Championships and the qualifiers to the 2023 Rugby World Cup where Spain was disqualified, and for the 2027 Rugby World Cup where Spain classified after winning to Netherlands and Switzerland. It announced his international withdrawal on 18 February 2025 with 35 years, having contested 25 caps official and noted 40 points.[8][9]
References
[edit]- ^ "SA Rugby Player Profile – JW Bell". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
- ^ "Mbombela Stadium finally home of the Pumas". sportunplugged.co.za. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- ^ "Steval Pumas first-time Vodacom Cup champions – Final Review". 31 May 2015. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
- ^ "Stefan Watermeyer verruil Pumas vir Kings, Leeus gaps JW Bell". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). 7 October 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ "El zaguero sudafricano John-Wessel Bell, nueva pieza para el VRAC 2016/2017" (Press release) (in Spanish). Valladolid RAC. 4 December 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
- ^ "Ficha Federado". Federación Española de Rugby (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 January 2017.
- ^ "España gana con claridad a Hong Kong en su último encuentro amistoso del año". Marca.com (in Spanish). 23 November 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "JOHN-WESSEL BELL OFICIALIZA SU RENUNCIA A LA SELECCIÓN ESPAÑOLA". FERugby.es (in Spanish). 18 February 2025.
- ^ "John-Wessel Bell anuncia su retirada de la selección española". Marca.com (in Spanish). 18 February 2025.
- South African rugby union players
- Living people
- 1990 births
- Pumas (Currie Cup) players
- Falcons (rugby union) players
- Rugby union fullbacks
- Rugby union players from Cape Town
- Valladolid RAC players
- South African expatriate rugby union players in Spain
- Spain international rugby union players
- 21st-century South African sportsmen