The future of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, the new comet star of English rugby, could be as bright next month as in the coming years. England’s summer tour of Japan and New Zealand will surely include the 21-year-old winger of the Exeter Chiefs, who played his first four international matches at the Six Nations tournament. His first three appearances came off the bench and included a try against Scotland, but his starting debut, when England ruined Ireland’s Grand Slam ambitions, provided the most substantial proof of his composure and talent.
It offers a dedicated society, but it is also different from most modern rugby players. After admitting that it would be the “stuff of dreams” to play against the all Blacks and maybe score a try in Dunedin or Auckland, the medical student moves on to a weight issue. He is certainly the first athlete I have interviewed who specializes in plastic surgery to help burn victims or patients with cleft palate.
These opposing perspectives, covering rugby and surgery, are part of the same range of possibilities that has changed Feyi-Wabo’s life over the past nine months. Exactly a year ago, he had just finished his loan spell with the Taunton Titans, who finished second in National League One this season. Now, after 23 games for Exeter and his breakthrough in the Six Nations tournament, Feyi-Waboso is being hailed as a charismatic new face of English rugby.
He smiles when I ask him how he feels after such a tumultuous time that Exeter are playing their last home game of the regular season against the Harlequins at Sandy Park on Saturday afternoon. “It’s been the toughest season so far, bodily, but I’m getting more and more comfortable playing 80 minutes,” he says. “So I always feel good.”
Before Friday night’s games, Exeter were seventh in the Premiership standings, two places behind Quins, and even if they win this weekend and smack Leicester away next Saturday, they will still need more results to reach the top 4. But Feyi-Waboso insists that they can reach the playoffs.
“Yes, obviously,” he exclaims. “We have a young band, but we never doubted ourselves. Some people think we have exceeded our goals this season, but we still want to do a lot more. Having smacken Gloucester in our last game [with Feyi-Waboso scoring a try], we remained hopeful and hopefully we will be in a stronger position after this weekend.”
Harlequins lost to Toulouse in the Champions Cup semi-final last Sunday when Exeter took a break. “Maybe this will help us,” he suggests, “because it’s a shorter turnaround for them. But Harlequins can score from anywhere. If you switch off for a second, you will be punished. It’s going to be another tough game and that’s what the boys and I have loved this season. Every game counts and as a young team we are becoming more and more experienced in these pressure situations.”