{"id":414185,"date":"2026-02-08T06:52:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T06:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/414185\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T06:52:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T06:52:20","slug":"six-nations-blow-for-england-as-key-man-is-ruled-out-of-twickenham-opener-against-wales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/414185\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Nations blow for England as key man is ruled out of Twickenham opener against Wales"},"content":{"rendered":"

By ALEX BYWATER, RUGBY WRITER<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 08:36 EST, 6 February 2026 | Updated: 09:00 EST, 6 February 2026 <\/p>\n

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso handed England a late Six Nations<\/a> injury blow by withdrawing from today\u2019s (SAT) opener with Wales.<\/p>\n

But captain Jamie George declared his team ready for a bid for Championship glory despite the loss of the in-form winger.<\/p>\n

Feyi-Waboso, who was born in Cardiff<\/a>, was yesterday (FRI) ruled out after limping out of training on Thursday.<\/p>\n

He has been replaced by Sale\u2019s Tom Roebuck.<\/p>\n

The Wales game will be Roebuck\u2019s first since he suffered a broken toe against New Zealand in November.<\/p>\n

On Monday, England head coach Steve Borthwick<\/a> said Roebuck needed more time to recover after he was initially left out of the 23-man squad. But now he is straight into the starting line-up at the 11th\u00a0hour.<\/p>\n

\"Immanuel <\/p>\n

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso will miss England’s opening Six Nations match with rivals Wales<\/p>\n

\"Sale <\/p>\n

Sale star Tom Roebuck (left) replaces\u00a0Feyi-Waboso in the Roses’ starting line-up<\/p>\n

\u2018Does it disrupt some plans? Yes, it does because it\u2019s changing a player,\u2019 said England scrum coach Tom Harrison.<\/p>\n

\u2018But we\u2019ve done everything we can to make sure the next player is ready. In an ideal world, we\u2019d have given him (Roebuck) an extra week but the world isn\u2019t ideal. He trained fully and he\u2019s been exceptional around the squad. I\u2019m excited to see him go.\u2019<\/p>\n

Feyi-Waboso missed last season\u2019s Six Nations and the 2025 Lions tour of Australia after suffering a serious shoulder problem. But he has been back to his best this season, impressing in the PREM Rugby with his club.<\/p>\n

Feyi-Waboso also started all four of England\u2019s November Tests, scoring against both Fiji and Argentina as a part of the national side\u2019s ongoing 11-game winning streak.<\/p>\n

\u2018Any player would be disappointed with an injury. We\u2019re gutted for him,\u2019 said flanker Sam Underhill of the loss of Feyi-Waboso. \u2018He\u2019s a very emotionally resilient guy, hardworking.<\/p>\n

\u2018No doubt he\u2019ll be back better for it, but it\u2019s disappointing.\u2019<\/p>\n

Steve Tandy\u2019s Wales will surely look to expose Roebuck\u2019s lack of match minutes.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Six Nations is up there with one of the best sporting competitions in the world. It doesn\u2019t get much better than this,\u2019 said George, who is leading England with Maro Itoje on the bench.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Feyi-Waboso, <\/p>\n

Feyi-Waboso, who was born in Cardiff, limped out of a training with a leg problem on Thursday<\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019re ready to get going now. There are some world-class players in this team now, which maybe there hasn’t been for a little while.\u2019<\/p>\n

Wales are rank outsiders to seal what would be their first win on English soil since 2015. Tandy\u2019s side were hammered 73-0 by double World Cup winners South Africa in their last match and their domestic game is in turmoil.<\/p>\n

The Welsh Rugby Union is planning to cut the number of its club teams from four to three, with the Swansea-based Ospreys in the firing line. Wales captain Dewi Lake is one of four Ospreys players in their matchday squad for England.<\/p>\n

Their head coach Tandy is also a former Ospreys boss.<\/p>\n

Unusually for an England player, Underhill spent time in Welsh club rugby with the Ospreys at the start of his career.<\/p>\n

\u2018I feel for the players for sure,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Ospreys are a phenomenal club. They’ve contributed so much to Welsh rugby over the years and it’s always a massive shame to potentially risk losing a club of that significance and importance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘You never want to put players in positions where they’re not sure what their future is going to look like. I owe a lot to the Ospreys. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.\u2019<\/p>\n

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