England: Another HUGE setback for Steve Borthwick as Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s British and Irish Lions’ hopes dealt a hammer blow
Another hammer blow in the back-three for England ahead of the Six Nations with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso sidelined.
England wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso will be sidelined for the entirety of the 2025 Six Nations, according to a report.
The speedster will therefore miss his final chance at international level to make the British and Irish Lions squad for the tour to Australia after opting to undergo surgery on his latest setback.
Feyi-Waboso enjoyed a stunning breakout year at Test level with England, scoring five tries in his first eight games and he was nominated for World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year Award, which was won by All Blacks back-rower Wallace Sititi.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso setback
His meteoric rise had several pundits predicting that he would be selected by Andy Farrell in the Lions squad and could crack the matchday XV for the Test matches.
But according to a report by Mail Sport, Feyi-Waboso will undergo surgery after dislocating a shoulder in the Premiership clash against Sale Sharks late last year. He faced a 50-50 call, whether to have the operation or not, but the publication states that he has chosen to go under the knife.
This means that he will be sidelined for around 10-12 weeks. It is further reported that the non-surgical route was initially preferred which would have put him in the selection frame for the Six Nations but a second scan provided more clarity.
Steve Borthwick now looks set to be without the flyer as they kick off their Six Nations campaign against Ireland on February 1 before their home fixtures against France (February 8), Scotland (February 22) and Italy (March 9).
England conclude their Six Nations campaign on March 15 at the Principality Stadium against Wales.
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Further setbacks
Feyi-Waboso’s injury would be another setback for Borthwick and his charges with Northampton Saints full-back George Furbank also ruled out of the tournament. For much of 2024, Furbank was the first-choice full-back for England with Freddie Steward used sparingly in the role.
Borthwick now looks set to make at least two changes to their back three for the Six Nations with Tommy Freeman likely to fill one of the slots in the outside backs unless the England boss opts to utilise him in the centres.
