England have suffered a crucial blow on the eve of their Six Nations opener against Wales, with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso ruled out with a leg issue.
The Exeter Chiefs back, who was due to start on the right wing, has since been replaced by Tom Roebuck in the starting line-up.
Should his recovery go as planned, he should be fit for their visit to Scotland in round two.
Feyi-Waboso ruled out of Six Nations opener
Feyi-Waboso emerged as a doubt for the Test yesterday (Thursday, February 5), after limping out of training in the build-up to Saturday’s Test
“Manny just pulled up at the very end,” assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth told BBC Sport’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast.
“His leg’s sore. There was nothing specific, and he walked off. There was nothing much to it, but he did miss the last 60 seconds of training, so we’re just waiting to investigate that a little bit more.”
This is not the first injury concern Feyi-Waboso has faced this season, either, after missing Exeter’s opening PREM Rugby Cup fixtures with a hamstring issue and being substituted early in the second-half against Northampton Saints in round one of the PREM season.
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It also follows a lengthy spell on the sidelines after a shoulder issue picked up in December 2024, which saw him miss out on the British and Irish Lions tour.
But, he has quickly recovered from that, with seven appearances for Exeter in all competitions this season, while featuring in all four Autumn Nations Series Tests back in November.
“He’s keen to be as good as he can be,” added the England assistant coach. “If that’s your starting point, with the physical capabilities he has, then you’re going to go well.
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“He is really coachable and takes feedback well, and he’s going to improve all the time because every time he steps into camp or a Test-match field, he gets another bit of knowledge that’s going to help.”
Elsewhere, Freddie Steward and Henry Arundell will join Roebuck in the back-three, with Tommy Freeman and Fraser Dingwall named in the centres. George Ford and Alex Mitchell will continue their half-back partnership, too, after being named at fly-half and scrum-half respectively.
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In the pack, Ben Earl gets the nod at number eight, with Sam Underhill and Guy Pepper named on the flanks. Ollie Chessum and Alex Coles both start at lock, while Joe Heyes, captain Jamie George and Ellis Genge feature in the front-row.
Steve Borthwick has also named a strong bench, with Luke Cowan-Dickie, Bevan Rodd, Trevor Davison, Maro Itoje – who will take over the captaincy upon his entry to the field – Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Ben Spencer and Marcus Smith named.
Updated England team in full
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tom Roebuck , 13 Tommy Freeman, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Henry Arundell, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Guy Pepper, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Alex Coles, 3 Joe Heyes, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Trevor Davison, 19 Maro Itoje, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Ben Spencer, 23 Marcus Smith
Date: Saturday, February 7
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: 16:40 GMT
Referee: Pierre Brousset (FFR)
Assistant Referees: Nic Berry (RA), Morné Ferreira (SARU)
TMO: Tual Trainini (FFR)
FPRO: Brett Cronan (RA)