Steve Borthwick backs ‘excited’ Immanuel Feyi-Waboso after injury hell
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (front right) and an inset of Steve Borthwick (left)
England head coach Steve Borthwick feels returning winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is ready to set the pitch alight this weekend, after having to keep him restrained in the build-up to the game against France XV.
The Exeter Chiefs ace has been out of action since dislocating his shoulder back in December, but will mark his return to the pitch in Borthwick’s starting England XV side tomorrow.
He forms part of a strong backline for the game, alongside the likes of George Ford, Henry Slade and Tom Roebuck. Elsewhere, uncapped stars Joe Carpenter and Seb Atkinson will also be keen to leave their mark on this side ahead of next week’s squad announcement for the summer tour to the Americas.
‘You have to pull him out of things’
Feyi-Waboso has endured a difficult road to get back to this point. After opting to rehab the injury rather than undergoing an operation, he re-injured the same shoulder in England camp during the Six Nations, and later decided to go under the knife.
That delay brought an end to his regular season campaign with the Devonians, but he has peaked at the right time to feature in this England squad to face France and looks a certainty to tour the Americas as a result.
Borthwick has already been open about having to hold him back a bit as he continues on his return to play pathway, but the head coach feels this is a good time to unleash him back on the pitch.
“Last week, as we were trying to get him through the final stages of his return to play, I had to man-mark him myself, which is a pretty tricky job,” Borthwick quipped.
“He’s full of enthusiasm and energy, it’s boundless. You have to pull him out of things because he’ll just jump straight in.
The England boss added: “He trained really well, he’s excited to be back on the pitch and excited to be back in a white shirt.”
Feyi-Waboso has been a mainstay in Borthwick’s squad since the 2024 Six Nations. He featured in three of their five Tests in that year’s Championship, including making his first start against Ireland in round four, and later went onto start five Tests in a row.
He has also crossed the whitewash on five occasions in an England shirt.
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