George Bell has a lot to thank Shag Valley Station for.
That’s the 12,000 acre sheep and beef station in Otago the New Zealand under-20s captain and Canterbury and Crusaders hooker grew up on.
Located on the Pig Root, between Dunback and Green Valley, it’s where he learnt what hard work was well before he was one of the highest touted rugby prospects in the country.
“Awesome place to live, awesome place to grow up. My parents are still there, still chipping away…pretty hard work sometimes, but they’re tough,” Bell said.
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“You get a good work ethic working on the farm, it’s not easy work.”
Bell’s father, Johnny, is fifth-generation on the property, which ranges from rugged high country to the flat, and is home to about 4000 ewes alone.
“One of us has to, but hopefully the others step up,” Bell quipped when asked if he might one day take it over.
The others he refers to are older brother and Otago hooker Henry, and older sister Lucy, who is studying at Lincoln University.
“I’d like to do something else after rugby before going back to farming. I’m not super keen on it, but still would definitely be nice down the track,” Bell said.
In the meantime, he’s got a rugby career on his mind, one brimming with potential on the evidence of his form for the New Zealand under-20s, Crusaders under-20s and Canterbury.
Indeed, Bell has been tipped by some pundits to become a future All Black, despite only having one game of Super Rugby under his belt.
The Crusaders sure think they’ve got a stud, signing him to a three-year deal a couple of years after he made the move north from Otago.
“Pretty easy for me to change, but I think the parents still find it a bit strange that I’m red and black,” Bell said, having grown up an Otago and Highlanders fan.
“Once you get to know the people up here, and get in the system, you can definitely see why they’re so good, it’s such a good environment.”
Having boarded at Dunedin’s John McGlashan College for three years, notching 30 games for the first XV and 50 odd for the first XI, Bell made the move after accepting a scholarship to study urban valuation at Lincoln University in 2020.
It wasn’t long before Crusaders academy director Aaron Webb called, laying out a plan Bell called “pretty attractive”.
A member of the Crusaders’ highly touted academy, he was soon training with the most successful franchise in Super Rugby, one he debuted for earlier than expected.
That was in May this year, when the then 19-year-old and fellow academy member and flatmate Seb Calder required New Zealand Rugby exemptions to face the Force in Perth, after the Crusaders were hit with Covid-19.
Bell debuted off the bench, scoring a try in the win, and drawing plenty of praise from head coach Scott Robertson.
“That was real special. I called mum [Tanya] up after the game, and she was pretty hysterical about it. That put things into perspective, how much it matters to people, it was awesome.
"It was cool to get that [long-term deal] locked in. Now to keep going up from here, not get complacent, I guess."
Bell, a midfielder before “I stopped growing and got a bit slow”, captained the New Zealand under-20s to the Oceania title in July.
As he’s done with Canterbury, he impressed with his power-running game and ability to break tackles. Like any good hooker these days, he also thrived when it was time to launch lineout drives.
Bell, who is continuing his studies part-time, has missed Canterbury’s last two games with an ankle injury, but is expected to be fit to play Auckland in Christchurch on Friday.
Then there’s the prospect of facing his brother in Dunedin on October 1, something which makes his eyes light up.
“Hopefully. That will be pretty cool. Never played against him, we had a pre-season game at the start of year, but he came off when I went on.
“It’d be good to lock horns with him."
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