‘Exceptional’ Immanuel Feyi-Waboso tipped to be a World Cup ‘force’ for England as Rob Baxter airs hope for ‘consistent run of games’ after injury issues
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso in action for England in 2026
Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter believes star winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso could become a “force” for England at the Rugby World Cup next year, as the back sets his sights on sealing a place in Steve Borthwick’s squad.
After an injury-and-suspension-hit 2025, Feyi-Waboso has again become a regular feature in Steve Borthwick’s side this season with seven Test starts to his name across the Autumn Nations Series back in November and the Nations Championship in July. In that time, he also scored four tries.
He also made a strong comeback for Exeter with 21 appearances in all competitions and bagged a tally of 14 tries in the process.
‘The more he plays, the better he gets’
However, injuries have still reared their head. He missed the 2026 Six Nations campaign through a hamstring injury, an issue he also suffered in the early stages of the PREM season, and later missed Exeter’s round 18 win over Saracens and the semi-final victory against Bath through a fractured jaw.
“I think just a good, consistent season would do him the world of good,” said Baxter. “That’s what he really needs; he needs to play, and the more he plays, the better he gets. That gives him real match fitness and sharpness.
“He was pretty good against Cardiff (in a pre-season friendly). He came up with those good moments that he always does, and he’s got fantastic pace and ability to beat people. We’re looking forward to him playing again this week (against Gloucester) with more game time under his belt. He certainly improves with game time.
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“I think if he can really put a run of games together, he could be quite a force come World Cup time.
“He is an exceptional player; there are areas of his game where game time without doubt improves some of those elements, but if he can put a good run together, it’ll be quite exciting what England might see from him both in the autumn and in the World Cup later in the year.”
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With so many injuries in such a concentrated block, Feyi-Waboso has spent a decent chunk of time in the physio room, which Baxter feels has made him more “robust” heading into the new season.
“People are surprised how much work people do when they’re injured, and Manny is no exception. He’s always worked exceptionally hard with the physios and S+C in those injury periods,” he explained.
“All of those things will be making Manny more robust, and hopefully that’s what you’ll start to see over the course of the season.”
