by Immanuel Feyi-Waboso may have looked like a “fairytale” debut for England, but the 21-year-old had to deal with emotions during a dramatic win over Ireland.
At full-time, after Marcus Smith’s late field goal sealed a 23-22 win, Feyi-Waboso admitted he was wearing a tear in Ellis Genge’s suit. Earlier in the piece, the atmosphere at Twickenham made the young wing shiver.
“The whole experience was crazy, the ups and downs, listening to ‘Swing Low’ in the stadium,” said Feyi-Waboso. “I didn’t think you’d hear it because you’re in the zone but during play breaks, I think I had spikes on the field.”
Feyi-Waboso came off the bench in Italy and Scotland to earn his first two caps, scoring a slicing solo try at Murrayfield. But a medical examination interrupted his preparations for round four.
Apart from traveling to York with Steve Borthwick’s squad, Feyi-Waboso remained in Exeter with a personalized conditioning program to review the OSCE. [Objective Structured Clinical Examination]; a practical test of possible hospital scenarios where actors play patients.
On Saturday afternoon, he described that ordeal as “less stressful” than the one against Ireland, not that that was a betrayal of his performance. Feyi-Waboso, who represented Taunton Titans in the third tier last season and played just 14 games in total for Exeter Chiefs in the Premier League and Champions Cup, continued his impressive rise with another convincing performance.
With 11 family members among the Twickenham crowd, he defended heartily and caused Ireland problems with the ball in hand, making 70 meters running and sliding five tackles according to Stats Perform. Indeed, his explosive carry over Bundee Aki and down the right line in the dying moments, with England reduced to 14 men following Chandler Cunningham-South’s injury, swept them close enough for Smith to seal the result.
“I just remember seeing a bit of space and looking up at DC, Danny Care, and going ‘Danny…’,” said Feyi-Waboso, detailing the final game and reflecting England’s collective attitude in attack. “Marcus saw the space there, he came around and we were like ‘go, go, go’.”
“I think it was just Aki on the edge [opposite me], I do not know where his winger was. But I went around and I think I was almost in but they covered well. Eventually we obviously got the goal, which was huge; enormous.
“I think it’s just the half-backs seeing the space and playing for it. Obviously Danny, Marcus, George [Ford]Mike [Alex Mitchell] Everyone loves to play in space. As long as you put yourself in good positions, I feel like they’ll get you the ball.”
England’s choice of Cardiff-born Feyi-Waboso, who joined Exeter from Wasps when the latter went bankrupt in 2022, caused controversy at the start of the Six Nations. Feyi-Waboso himself “deleted a lot of social media” over a difficult fortnight before the match with Wales in round two, but he did not come off the bench in that game and explained that he is now “left down” on the bench.
Although he seems to be looking so comfortable on the pitch, Feyi-Waboso admitted that he is still getting used to everything that comes with being an England player.
“The hotel we’re staying at… all the hotels we’re staying at!” he said. “The food, the chefs, everywhere we go; charter flights! Coaches, players, being around the big names and seeing them every day. It’s still weird.”
“He’s definitely faster, more physical,” Feyi-Waboso added. “Mistakes are definitely punished, especially against a team like Ireland. They are very good at that. But I think boys are stuck together today. When we made mistakes, we came together and had a different job attitude.”
Feyi-Waboso: ‘You could feel there was something special brewing’
After selecting him to start on the wing, with Elliot Daly dropping to the bench, Steve Borthwick urged Feyi-Waboso to get as much involvement as possible.
“When he’s a great coach like that, Steve and all the other great coaches like Felix [Jones] and Wiggy [Richard Wigglesworth], say they want the ball in your hands, which gives you confidence. It makes you want to get the ball in your hands and try to get in good positions.
“I feel the half-backs listen to those messages as well and want to put the ball in your hands. It is incredible. You obviously feel a little out of place. I’ve only played a few games, but they make you feel a lot more comfortable and allow you to express yourself.”
Describing the win, which marked Danny Care’s 100th cap and his own Test debut, as a “fairytale”, Feyi-Waboso is calling for England to finish their campaign with another determined effort in Lyon.
“I feel like this whole process is growing,” he said. “We always knew we could do something special. From Girona, the first week we were in the camp. You could feel that something special was brewing.
“Obviously all the media say, you guys, ‘England’s not getting results’. But I don’t think we really see it that way. We see ourselves progressing well with this [match] this was a reflection of all the hard work we have done over the last few weeks. Hopefully we can take it forward into France.”
