Ulster sign injury-hit Argentine prop Bello on one-year deal despite two-year absence

Ulster have agreed a one-year contract with Argentine tighthead Eduardo Bello, signing the 30-year-old from Newcastle Red Bulls despite the prop having been sidelined for almost two years with a serious knee injury.

Bello suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury while representing Los Pumas in the 2024 Rugby Championship and has not played since. Newcastle, who finished bottom of the Gallagher Premiership after winning just two of their eight matches, confirmed last month that Bello was among 26 players set to leave when their contracts expire at the end of June.

The former Saracens prop had attracted interest from Premiership semi-finalists Northampton Saints and his former club Zebre — a United Rugby Championship rival of Ulster — with both sides monitoring his recovery closely. Ulster were initially understood to have offered Bello a short-term deal to prove his fitness, but he is now set to sign a full one-year contract after impressing the Ravenhill coaching staff during a fitness assessment last week.

Ulster’s pursuit of a tighthead has been driven in part by a positional shift involving Ireland international Tom O’Toole. Ireland head coach Andy Farrell started O’Toole at loosehead in the final two Six Nations fixtures against Wales and Scotland, and the long-term plan is for O’Toole to operate on the left-hand side of the front row for Ulster next season — a move that leaves a vacancy at tighthead that Bello is expected to fill.

Bello made 83 appearances for Zebre before joining Saracens, where he established himself as one of the more reliable tightheads in the Premiership. He had also been a target for Stormers head coach John Dobson the previous summer, underscoring the level of interest in the prop despite his prolonged absence from the game.

The deal is expected to be formally confirmed within the coming days.