In 2023, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was playing club rugby with Taunton. After ending last season scoring for England against the All Blacks, he is no longer under the radar.
The Exeter wing has admitted as much. Feyi-Waboso had a breakout campaign last term both with club and country. Now, the 21-year-old’s challenge is to continue that progression.
‘On a podcast, (ex-England wing) Jonny May said something about this,’ Feyi-Waboso said.
‘I didn’t hear it until someone told me about it and it was really good advice for me. I listened to it and he was basically saying the steps you need to take as a good player coming through because people learn what you do. Then you need to adjust.
‘It’s a game of back and forth, I guess. Cat and mouse. Hopefully, if people expect me to come one way, I need to go the other.’
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso rose from the semi-pro rugby scene to England in under a year
The 21-year-old breakout star had had ‘loads of fun’ but is still paranoid about being dropped
This time last year, Feyi-Waboso was green to say the least in professional rugby terms. But his talent was obvious and soon identified by Rob Baxter and Steve Borthwick.
Exeter director of rugby Baxter gave him a chance and it was one he took to quickly earn England selection from Borthwick for the 2024 Six Nations and then the summer tour.
‘It’s been crazy, really fast. Luckily, over the summer, I’ve had time to digest it all,’ Feyi-Waboso said. ‘The first proper pinch-yourself moment was my first set of starts when it was like: “Oh, I’ve kind of established myself in the Exeter team”. The next one was definitely speaking to Steve on the phone. Then it was being called up to the England camp.
‘It’s all come at once. Obviously, my life has changed quite a lot. It’s been loads of fun, with loads of amazing memories from this past year. I feel like I say this every year, but it’s been the best one of my life so far! Everything’s seeming to go in the right direction.
‘I’m just scared of the drop now!’
Feyi-Waboso will hope a fall never comes.
He was named the Premiership’s breakthrough player of the season the Rugby Players’ Association young player of the year for his try-scoring exploits.
Feyi-Waboso holidayed in Bali with his new England team-mates after the 2-0 series defeat by New Zealand. His growing status as a promising international star saw him rewarded with a new electric car deal this summer. Away from rugby, Feyi-Waboso will continue his medical degree at Exeter University this season having passed his first year of studies.
The rising star was rewarded with an electric car deal by BYD South West this summer
He also holidayed in Bali and is set to continue his medical degree at Exeter University
‘We wanted to win away with all the history and stuff in New Zealand,’ Feyi-Waboso said.
‘It’s a shame, but it means we’ll come back hungrier, I’d like to say.’
Seeing how far he has come in such a short space of time, you wouldn’t bet against Feyi-Waboso continuing his upward curve with the British & Irish Lions.
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell will head up next summer’s Lions tour to Australia.
‘It is a big goal,’ Feyi-Waboso admitted. ‘I’m just trying to start playing again because there are a lot of things that could stop me from getting there.’
Feyi-Waboso’s first port of call this season will be to help Exeter improve on their seventh-place league finish last term. Doing so will be difficult with injuries suffered by club captain Henry Slade and Wales lock Dafydd Jenkins. But in Feyi-Waboso, Exeter have a star.
‘What has changed is on the pitch. I just feel a lot more comfortable,’ Feyi-Waboso said.
He revealed his goal to play for the English and Irish Lions under Andy Farrell next summer but is humble about the road it will take to get there
‘It feels like things have slowed down a bit. It’s a little less frantic in my head. Off the pitch, I feel like my life is a bit more comfortable with a bit more stability which means I can push on. There are a lot of work-ons, definitely. Do I want to share them?
‘Not really, but I know what they are. We’re also expecting more of ourselves (with Exeter). We want to be better on and off the field this year. We have high expectations of ourselves.’
