Borthwick boost as Feyi-Waboso snubs Gatland
ENGLAND have got one over on Wales by securing Cardiffborn Exeter wing Immanuel FeyiWaboso for their Six Nations campaign.
The 21-year- old will this week join up with England’s squad after informing the nation of his birth that he will not represent them in the Six Nations, which starts in four weeks’ time.
It is a huge blow for Wales and head coach Warren Gatland and a coup for England counterpart Steve Borthwick.
Wales’ talent pool simply is not big enough to let top prospects slip through and Feyi-Waboso has impressed with Exeter in his first full season of Premiership rugby.
He joined the Chiefs from Wasps in 2022 and is eligible for England through family heritage, despite being born in Wales and playing for them at age-group level.
As revealed by Mail Sport yesterday, Feyi-Waboso has informed Gatland and the Welsh Rugby Union he will not be available for their Six Nations squad for professional and personal reasons.
He started his career in Cardiff, but has always maintained strong links with English rugby after studying at Bristol’s Clifton College.
He signed his first professional contract with Cardiff in 2020, but was forced to leave the Welsh region when he was not admitted to the city’s university to study medicine, despite achieving the required grades.
Feyi-Waboso has a long-term goal to be a doctor and that career aim is as important to him as his sporting progression.
He moved to Aston University after leaving Cardiff last year, signing for Wasps.
But the Coventry-based club’s demise forced him into another switch. And Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter acted immediately to sign the player, despite interest from France.
Feyi-Waboso moved to Devon and opted to redo the first year of his medical degree at Exeter University, while initially living in a hotel on the Chiefs’ Sandy Park site.
Mail Sport understands another major stumbling block to FeyiWaboso playing for Wales is their 25-cap selection rule, which means players at overseas clubs can only remain eligible if they have 25 caps or more.
Therefore, if Feyi-Waboso was selected in Gatland’s Six Nations squad — regardless of whether he played or not — he would have to rejoin a Welsh club when his Exeter contract expires.
That is something the player does not want to do as he would have to leave Exeter University a few years into a long- term medicine degree.
After being released from his contract at Cardiff and then having to leave Aston University, the player is believed to be happy at Exeter and is prioritising longterm stability with the Chiefs on and off the field.
Winning a senior cap for Wales would also affect Feyi-Waboso’s contractual status at Exeter as an English-qualified player.
Borthwick (right) admitted last week that he has been monitoring Feyi-Waboso, having watched him impress in Exeter’s festive win over Bristol and in a thrilling top- of- the- table loss to Northampton on Saturday.
The England boss has been in direct dialogue with the player several times, while Feyi-Waboso has had minimal contact with the Welsh set-up.
He will now be part of one of four regional gatherings taking place over the next fortnight.
The informal meetings are for those who are on Borthwick’s radar for final Six Nations selection and while they do not involve any training, Feyi-Waboso’s attendance shows he is under strong consideration for the tournament. The final squad will be named on January 17.
Feyi-Waboso is part of a young Exeter side who have impressed this season.
He has scored tries in matches against Newcastle, Bristol and Northampton, and his defence in the second of those games also stood out.
Feyi-Waboso is still young and maturing, but there can be no doubt his enterprising running game, eye for the try-line and rapid improvement make him an eye- catching capture for Borthwick.
His intelligence makes him a quick learner too and he is a grounded, driven individual.
England have lost wings Jonny May and Henry Arundell from the squad that finished third at last year’s World Cup squad, due to retirement and moving to France’s Top 14 respectively.
That could create an opening for Feyi-Waboso, although the return to fitness of Anthony Watson at Leicester and the form of Northampton’ s Tommy Freeman and Bath’s Joe Cokanasiga mean there is strong competition for places. Wales and Gatland, on the other hand, will be severely disappointed after letting a hugely promising talent slip through
their fingers.