So much energises Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. To the England wing, so much is “hilarious” or “amazing” and often delivered with a smile. This week is no different. In fact, he has even more bounce in his step than usual — because, for the first time, he will play against Wales.
Born in Cardiff and raised there until he was 16, Feyi-Waboso still speaks with a hint of a Welsh lilt. We have known this story for a while: he grew up in the suburb of Llandaff as one of six children to British-Nigerian parents, went to the Welsh capital’s Corpus Christi comprehensive school, but then moved to Clifton College in Bristol, while taking an academy contract with Cardiff.
He left the club when he — despite an A* and two As at A-level — failed to gain a place to study medicine at Cardiff University. Instead, he joined Aston University and Wasps. When Wasps went into administration in 2022, he moved to Exeter Chiefs and resumed his studies at the University of Exeter.
Feyi-Waboso, who represented Wales at under-18 level, was an unused replacement when England played the country of his birth in the 2024 Six Nations
SIMON KING/PROSPORTS/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
And yet Feyi-Waboso always felt more connected to England — from his grandmother in Cheltenham, down through the Nigerian side of his family, who all lived over the border too. So while he has worn the red of Wales at under-18 level, pulling on a white shirt against the country of his birth at Twickenham in the Six Nations on Saturday will be loaded with significance.
Does it feel that way, because it completes the circle? “Maybe, somewhat,” he says. “I just feel like it’s a team I want to beat. You have a few of them, France too, but they’re just a team I really want to beat.”
He says that without venom; he is not the type to stoke animosity, but a young athlete keen to tick things off on his growing list of achievements. Besides, Feyi-Waboso is friends with many in the Welsh squad, including Dafydd Jenkins, his Exeter team-mate, Ospreys’ Harri Deaves and Cardiff’s Alex Mann.
He was richly entertained, and motivated, when he lined up at Sandy Park against Cardiff on January 18 in the Challenge Cup. The Chiefs won 31-0, and Feyi-Waboso copped it from the travelling fans. He found it all so funny.
Feyi-Waboso, left, celebrates a try during Exeter’s win over Cardiff last month, when he was targeted by the travelling supporters: “It was good crack. At times they were louder than our fans. It was good motivation”
PHIL MINGO/PPAUK/SHUTTERSTOCK
“The crowd was at me. It was so hilarious. Their fans travel well, from Cardiff,” he says, singing each chant he remembers. “It was ‘traitor, traitor!’ and ‘Manny is a Welshman!’ and ‘you’re just a shit Tom Bowen’, so it was good crack. At times they were louder than our fans. It was actually good motivation when you’re on the pitch. I was kick-chasing, hearing that, and it’s just as good as someone cheering you.”
If he hears the same voices again, and scores against Wales, will he go full Henry Pollock and hush the crowd? Or hoof the ball into the stands as the back-rower did when scoring against Bordeaux Bègles? Unlikely. Feyi-Waboso is not that sort.
“No, no! Leave that to him, he’s good at that stuff,” Feyi-Waboso says. “That was good, as it was a mental try wasn’t it? He caught it on the edge, chipped, chased … he’s after my spot. He’s an amazing player and can back it up. They would’ve hated that.
“When someone has misplaced confidence, it’s like, ‘What are you doing?’ but this guy is doing it every single week on the biggest stage. He’s scored two tries and every time he comes off the bench he’s backing it up, so you can’t really hate him. It’s too good. If you’re good enough, go for it. We appreciate the fact that the game needs to grow, so it’s amazing to have that personality.”
The wing, who still speaks with a Welsh lilt, has been at Exeter since Wasps went into administration in 2022
PHIL MINGO/PPAUK
For Feyi-Waboso, this has been a long road back to playing in the Six Nations. The last time we spoke was at the end of 2024, his stunning, breakthrough year.
As we chatted at Sandy Park, Feyi-Waboso breathlessly detailed his great days: his break to set up Marcus Smith’s match-winning drop-goal in the 23-22 win over Ireland; his debut try at Murrayfield; his first tour, to New Zealand; and his dreams of making the British & Irish Lions tour in 2025.
Feyi-Waboso was also frustrated that niggling concussions had stopped his flow. “I just want to string games together,” he said then, and the next day spent his 22nd birthday on the coach up to Sale Sharks, where he dislocated his shoulder on the Saturday before Christmas.
That started a saga that kept him out for exactly six months. England and Exeter disagreed on the best medical approach to fix his shoulder, he tried to recover without surgery and then re-dislocated it during England training in the Six Nations. Eventually he went under the knife and missed his chance to force a Lions case.
“In that moment everything flashed before my eyes and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s everything gone then, I’ve messed this up,’ ” Feyi-Waboso says.
Feyi-Waboso, pictured at England’s training camp in Spain, is back in the international frame after missing last year’s Six Nations because of injury
MARTIN SERAS LIMA/SHUTTERSTOCK
Then, against a France XV at Twickenham, Feyi-Waboso hit Antoine Hastoy high with a swinging arm in a summer warm-up game. “I came back and got a red card for England in June, and I was just like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve missed the Lions anyway, and now the summer tour.’”
He was banned for two matches, and still Steve Borthwick took him to Argentina and the United States. “As soon as it happened, I was like, ‘Ah I’ve messed up here, that’s a red card for the team,’ and we ended up losing, so you can’t help but think that it was your fault,” Feyi-Waboso says. “It was just a series of annoying and unfortunate events.
“Luckily Steve took me on tour, which was a big show of confidence. I was so appreciative, as he shouldn’t have taken me, but he did, and it gave me the opportunity to play more at a high level and train, which is better than doing nothing. That’s what I needed.”
Remarkably, England’s 40-5 win over the US in Washington DC was Feyi-Waboso’s only victory in 13 matches for club and country in the 2024-25 season, other than a friendly against Ulster. And so Feyi-Waboso has particularly enjoyed Exeter and England’s recent form. England’s autumn clean sweep of victories — they are now unbeaten in 11 Tests — included his first win over the All Blacks.
“Humungous,” he calls that 33-19 win. “And to win the way we did, it wasn’t a close one was it? I felt like we were in control. Even when we lost twice to New Zealand away in 2024 there was no part of me that I thought we’d lose it. The November one ended amazingly, it was so good, and all the others fell into place too.”
Feyi-Waboso during what he calls the “humungous” victory over the All Blacks in November
WARREN LITTLE/GETTY IMAGES
Aided by new attack coaches at England (Lee Blackett) and Exeter (Dave Walder), Feyi-Waboso is maturing in his third full season of professional rugby. He still wants to work off his wing more to find midfield holes but, as he approaches his 14th cap, Test matches have started to feel slower to him.
“Before I felt like a headless chicken running into everything. A lot of that is experience, as I felt like I needed to be everywhere all at once,” Feyi-Waboso says. “I remember when we went away to New Zealand, there was so much stuff that I might not have been in the right position for, or I wasn’t doing the right things. Sometimes in the Prem you can get away with things, or someone wouldn’t see it, but Beauden Barrett … this guy was just always looking, waiting for someone to make a mistake so he could pounce. It made me appreciate that you have to be in every moment.
“It’s tying the two together — putting myself in good, tactical positions where I can be as instinctive as possible, where I’m at my best, and then I need to find the ball as much as I can in positions where I can help the team.”
Blessedly, Feyi-Waboso is a good learner. He has taught himself French and is now moving on to Spanish, while intercalating his medical course with another degree in sports science.
“I use Duolingo and podcasts,” he says. “England are going to Argentina in the summer, so Spanish will be useful. Afrikaans next? We’ll see.”
Perhaps he should swot up on some Welsh, to understand the full variety of fruity names their fans muster against him on Saturday. But then again, victorious English cheers are really all Feyi-Waboso wants to hear.
England v Wales
Saturday, 4.40pm
Twickenham
TV ITV
The Ruck Podcast: LiveDon’t miss tough tacklers Courtney Lawes and Serge Betsen on March 9, as they compare notes on France v England and the biggest moments of this year’s Six Nations at Twickenham Stoop. Book tickets here