Immanuel Feyi-Waboso moments that will have impressed Steve Borthwick

History tells us that highlight reels do not always translate to Test caps when it comes to wingers. International coaches usually need more than explosive side-steps, acrobatic offloads and dazzling individual tries in domestic fixtures. Less glamorous attributes such as defensive positioning, aerial solidity and work-rate around the pitch tend to be more convincing.

The exciting thing about Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s emergence at Exeter this season, and surely a major reason for Steve Borthwick volunteering him as a potential England debutant last week, is that he has blended crowd-pleasing contributions with subtler aspects of back-three play. Evidently, the Cardiff-born 21-year-old, who arrived in Devon via Wasps and is pursuing a degree in medicine, has huge potential.

Two reasonably understated moments, each of them coincidentally in fixtures against Northampton Saints, encapsulate the commitment and competitive edge that will have impressed Borthwick and other members of England’s backroom team. Here, at Franklin’s Gardens back in November, Feyi-Waboso begins behind the ruck as Alex Mitchell feeds Courtney Lawes. Also highlighted here are the two other members of the Exeter back three: full-back Tommy Wyatt and right wing Ben Hammersley:

Chiefs have clearly asked their wings to push up and in this season, mirroring the Springboks blitz that Felix Jones helped to hone before joining England. Bear that in mind. In this instance, Northampton spread the ball towards the far touchline and outflank Exeter. However, Feyi-Waboso swings all the way around Hammersley and Wyatt to cut down Tom Seabrook:

Saints score a while later on the opposite wing, through Tommy Freeman via a Fin Smith grubber, but Feyi-Waboso’s effort holds them up.

This weekend, more industry led to a turnover. Chiefs spread the ball across their own half before Wyatt strikes clear. Feyi-Waboso chases…

…and eventually charges down Ollie Sleightholme, winning back possession for his side:

Such off-the-ball graft reflects well on a player’s character and intuition. Often, this is something a wing develops over time. That Feyi-Waboso is already doing it is highly promising, especially given his other qualities.

X-factor on the ball and hunting touches

Exeter’s success this season was foreshadowed by a victory in the Premiership Cup last year. Feyi-Waboso showcased his pace and deceptive strength with this try against Gloucester, which saw three defenders shrugged off…

…and another powerful finish in the semi-final thrashing of Sale Sharks:

In the Premiership Cup this season, which initally acted as a tune-up while the World Cup was on, Feyi-Waboso scuttled through a number of Jersey defenders and stretched over in the corner:

Five tries in league action so far across 2023-24 have included opportunistic efforts, such as one following up Henry Slade’s interception against Sale, and this long-range screamer at Kingston Park:

A flying touch-down to evade the touchline on Saturday, after gathering Harvey Skinner’s pass, demonstrated sharp finishing instincts:

Further to all of that, Feyi-Waboso has been proactive in his support play. Just as Jack Nowell used to do for Exeter, he has popped up close to the breakdown. His dynamism makes him capable of generating quick ball in heavy traffic.

At the end of December, Feyi-Waboso bumped off Steven Luatua – no easy feat – in the build-up to Jacques Vermeulen’s decisive try:

On Saturday, as early as the second minute, he was way off his wing and among the Exeter forwards, picking and going to eke out metres:

Mark Telea’s phenomenal performance in the World Cup final, and indeed his performances over the past couple of years for New Zealand and in Super Rugby with the Blues, have underlined the benefit of a slippery, speedy wing getting on the ball in unconventional places.

Again, players sometimes need to be encouraged into these habits. Feyi-Waboso appears to have a healthy appetite for the ball, striking a balance between holding width and mucking in.

A defensive tone-setter?

Felix Jones overseeing the England defence makes it a safe bet that the system will be an aggressive one and that wings will be asked to press in-field and pressurise opponents. This is the second All Blacks line-out of the World Cup final. Note the starting position of Kurt-Lee Arendse. He is narrow…

…and keeps coming, rushing in to help crowd out New Zealand’s back line:

Arendse eventually pokes his toe at a loose ball much closer to the far touchline than his own:

Feyi-Waboso seems well suited to a similar brief and appears to relish a confrontational role in defence. According to Stats Perform, he has forced six turnovers and completed 11 dominant tackles in the Premiership since October. This next clip begins with him on the floor, having slipped over attempting to chop down Virimi Vakatawa:

But, after a cover tackle from Greg Fisilau, Feyi-Waboso scrambles back into the line, sets himself and leads Exeter’s line-speed. He watches the ball and identifies the target of Harry Randall’s pass, darting from out to in and clattering Dan Thomas:

Chiefs force a knock-on at the ensuing breakdown.

Over recent years, under the guidance of Jacques Nienaber and Jones, South Africa have urged their wings to blitz and disrupt, trusting that team-mates will cover behind these players if opponents manage to move the ball wider – just as Feyi-Waboso does in the first clip of this article.

Occasionally, this system can be exploited. At the weekend, after Northampton had run the ball out of their own 22, Feyi-Waboso began narrow…

…and pressed in, but was lobbed by a George Furbank kick-pass that led to a try:

Such setbacks are inevitable. It is important that Feyi-Waboso keeps the courage of his convictions if the defensive system demands that he trust himself. Obviously, on occasions, it may be more prudent to drift rather than bite in. Experience helps wings to make better decisions. But England’s new system is likely to value aggression on the edges of the defensive line.

There are myriad sliding-doors tales in Test rugby union and Feyi-Waboso, also effective in the air when chasing kicks, has broken through at an opportune time. Jonny May has retired from England duty and Cadan Murley and Anthony Watson have been injured, as has Ollie Hassell-Collins. Furthermore, Jones could well fancy Feyi-Waboso as the sort of wing to complement the defensive strategy he wants to implement.

Borthwick has scope to shake up his side with a fresh face in the back three and seems to have moved quickly to secure the services of Feyi-Waboso, once part of the Wales Under-19 set-up. Of course, Feyi-Waboso will remain eligible for Warren Gatland’s side until he is capped for England. On the evidence of this Premiership season, though, Borthwick’s proactivity makes a great deal of sense.