History tells us that highlight roles don't always translate to Test caps when it comes to wingers. International coaches usually require more than explosive sidesteps, acrobatic feats and dazzling individual efforts in domestic competitions. Less glamorous qualities such as defensive positioning, aerial stability and work rate around the pitch are usually more convincing.
What's exciting about Immanuel Feyi-Waboso's emergence at Exeter this season, and certainly a key reason for Steve Borthwick to offer him as a potential England debutant last week, is that he has combined crowd-pleasing contributions with subtler aspects of the back-three -game. It's clear the Cardiff-born 21-year-old, who arrived in Devon from Wasps and is pursuing a degree in medicine, has huge potential.
Two fairly understated moments, each coincidentally in matches against Northampton Saints, sum up the commitment and competitive edge that will have impressed Borthwick and other members of the England backroom team. Here, in November at Franklin's Gardens, Feyi-Waboso starts behind the ruck as Alex Mitchell feeds Courtney Lawes. Also highlighted here are the other two members of Exeter's back three: full-back Tommy Wyatt and right wing Ben Hammersley:
Chiefs have clearly been asking to push their wings up and this season they are mirroring the Springboks blitz that Felix Jones helped hone before heading to England. Keep that in mind. In this case, Northampton spread the ball to the far sideline and bypassed Exeter. However, Feyi-Waboso swings all the way around Hammersley and Wyatt to take down Tom Seabrook:
Saints score moments later on the opposite wing, through Tommy Freeman via a Finn Smith grubber, but Feyi-Waboso's effort stops them.
This weekend, more industry generated sales. Chiefs spread the ball across their own half before Wyatt strikes clear. Feyi-Waboso chases...
...and eventually attacks Ollie Sleightholme and wins back possession for his team:
The story continues
Such off-the-ball transplantation well reflects a player's character and intuition. Often this is something that a wing develops over time. The fact that Feyi-Waboso is already doing it is promising, especially considering his other qualities.
X-factor on the ball and chasing touches
Exeter's success this season was foreshadowed by a Premiership Cup win last year. Feyi-Waboso demonstrated his pace and deceptive power with this try against Gloucester, which had three defenders shrugging their shoulders...
...and another powerful finish in the Sale Sharks semi-final:
In this season's Premiership Cup, which initially acted as preparation for the World Cup, Feyi-Waboso pushed through a number of Jersey defenders and stretched into the corner:
Five tries in the competition so far in 2023-2024 include opportunistic tries, such as one following Henry Slade's interception against Sale, and this long-range screamer at Kingston Park:
A flying touchdown to avoid the sideline on Saturday, after collecting Harvey Skinner's pass, demonstrated sharp finishing instincts:
In addition, Feyi-Waboso has been proactive in his support act. Just as Jack Nowell did for Exeter, he emerged just before the crisis. His dynamism allows him to generate fastballs in heavy traffic.
At the end of December, Feyi-Waboso defeated Steven Luatua - no easy task - in the run-up to Jacques Vermeulen's decisive attempt:
On Saturday, as early as the second minute, he found himself far from his wing and among Exeter's attackers, picking yards:
Mark Telea's phenomenal performance in the World Cup final, as well as his performances in recent years for New Zealand and in Super Rugby with the Blues, have highlighted the advantage of a slick, fast wing who gets to 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 bulking up.
A defensive tone setter?
Felix Jones, who oversees England's defense, makes it a safe bet that the system will be aggressive and wings will be asked to press upfield and put pressure on opponents. This is the second All Blacks line-out of the World Cup final. Note the starting position of Kurt-Lee Arendse. It's narrow...
...and keeps coming, rushing in to help crowd New Zealand's backline:
Arendse eventually dips his toe at a loose ball that is much closer to the far sideline than his:
Feyi-Waboso seems well suited for a similar assignment and appears to enjoy a confrontational role in defense. According to Stats Perform, he has suffered six turnovers and completed 11 dominant tackles in the Premier League since October. The following clip begins with him on the ground, after slipping while trying to cut down Virimi Vakatawa:
But after a cover tackle from Greg Fisilau, Feyi-Waboso scrambles back into the line, sets himself up and leads Exeter's line speed. He looks at the ball and identifies the target of Harry Randall's pass, which shoots in from outside and Dan Thomas clatters:
Chiefs force a knock-on on the ensuing jam.
In recent years, South Africa, led by Jacques Nienaber and Jones, have urged their wings to blitz and disrupt, confident that teammates will hide behind these players if opponents manage to move the ball further - just like Feyi -Waboso does so in the first excerpt of this article.
Occasionally this system can be abused. At the weekend, after Northampton had run the ball out of their own 22, Feyi-Waboso started narrowly...
...and pressed, but was lobbed by a George Furbank kick pass that led to a try:
Such setbacks are inevitable. It is important that Feyi-Waboso maintains the courage of his convictions when the defense system demands that he trust himself. Obviously, sometimes it may be wiser to stray rather than bite the bullet. Experience helps wings make better decisions. But England's new system is likely to value aggression at the edges of the defensive line.
There are plenty of sliding door stories 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 withdrawn from England and Cadan Murley and Anthony Watson have been injured, as has Ollie Hassell-Collins. Furthermore, Jones could very well see Feyi-Waboso as the kind of wing that fits the defensive strategy he wants to implement.
Borthwick have room to shake up their side with a fresh face in the back three and appear to have moved quickly to secure the services of Feyi-Waboso, once part of the Wales Under-19s. Of course, Feyi-Waboso will remain eligible for Warren Gatland's squad until he is capped for England. However, on the evidence of this Premiership season, Borthwick's proactivity makes a lot of sense.
