The pinball wizard who can fire Exeter
IMMANUEL Feyi-Waboso was a pretty unknown factor before the Six Nations, but the 21-year-old winger's rise from Cardiff Academy, Exeter University, Taunton Titans, to Exeter Chiefs, and then to represent England, all of it in just 18 months, is phenomenal.
Feyi-Waboso has probably had only 25 first-class games, including three Test appearances, but he's quick and so incredibly explosive that he is creating headaches against even the best international defences. He's like a coiled spring, and it makes him incredibly difficult to contain.
You can see that defenders very often think they've got him, but his dynamism and low centre of gravity means that he stays on his feet – or bounces back up instantly – to put an even bigger dent in the gain-line by making another 10 metres.
Feyi-Waboso is 5ft 11ins and 14st 11lbs (94kg), and so powerful at close quarters that he breaks the grip of tacklers – and his ability to change direction at speed, and do it so abruptly, adds up to a combination of factors which make him very difficult to pin down. It is why he either creates tries, or scores them, and has been inspirational for Exeter this season.
In Exeter's European Cup round of 16 win over Bath at Sandy Park last weekend, Feyi-Waboso was more creator than finisher, opening the door for the second-half tries by Greg Fisilau and Ethan Roots that saw the Chiefs go through to face Toulouse in an away quarter-final in south-west France today.
He pinballed his way through the Bath defence for a 90 metre carrying total, breaking the line almost every time he got the ball in a man-of-thematch performance.
There are so many wingers who are dragged into touch when they get the ball near the touchline, but Feyi-Waboso uses all his strength to stay alive, and he definitely doesn't go into touch easily. This was typified by the way he angled infield and made such crucial inroads into the Ireland 22 in the build-up to England's last-gasp winning drop-goal at Twickenham last month.
Steve Borthwick deserves praise for backing Feyi-Waboso, but the youngster repaid the England head coach by taking his chance with both hands. Even so, he's still something of an unknown quantity because it's so early in his career.
Like every professional player Feyi-Waboso will have to work hard on all areas, because maintaining top-end consistency is difficult. It's even more difficult when, like him, you are working for a medical degree – with Jamie Roberts one of the few international players who have managed to do both.
What Feyi-Waboso's done so far is very impressive, and you get the sense of a young man embarking on a challenging course of action, but helped because he appears to be a very balanced individual.
Medicine might take priority at times because of the importance of his exams, but he could also become a role model by showing that you can combine a career with the demands of pro rugby – and good for Exeter for recognising the importance of education, and a career in life after rugby, as part of the club's pathway system.
The areas where he must look for improvement as a player are clear to see. Chasing kicks is a crucial part of the modern winger's armoury, whether they are box-kicks or those that go to grass. In defence it's a question of knowing when to come in or stay out, and understanding the pendulum back three system, as well as judging the pace of an attack.
I don't know how much Feyi-Waboso is a student of the game, but it's fair to think that the discipline he has to apply to his medical studies will help when it comes to game/ tactical analysis.
In terms of physical ability Feyi-Waboso seems to have a good standing jump, and the athleticism to get better and better as time goes on. He's quick, although he didn't seem to make up too much ground on Ted Hill when the Bath flanker broke away for his try. Maybe it is because of the demands of operating in heavy traffic, because the way Rob Baxter used him at close quarters against Bath was clever.
Feyi-Waboso's agility and power makes him very dangerous in tight spaces close to the breakdown, especially because big forwards are slower to get lower and find it difficult to shut him down.
At the moment he's making headlines by running important metres for tries and assists for Exeter and England – but today's trip to Toulouse will be a big challenge for the Chiefs as a team, and him as an individual.
When Exeter did the double in 2021 they had a big semi-final win over Toulouse at Sandy Park, before beating Racing in the final. However, last year they lost heavily in the semi-finals to champions La Rochelle and, although their rebuild under Baxter is going well, their pack is not yet as dominant as they were when they were at their peak.
The old Exeter game was to squeeze penalties out of opponents to get into the 22, and then use the driving maul, pick-and-drive, or one-out pass, to smash over. However, although young forwards like Rusi Tuima and Ross Vintcent are promising, with the pack they've got they have to play a different game – and that's why we know the likely outcome of this quarter-final will be in Toulouse's favour.
Toulouse are different gravy, because they have international strength, depth and quality throughout their side. For starters they have Antoine Dupont back at scrum-half, alongside fly-half Romain Ntamack, who has just returned from the injury he sustained before the World Cup.
Up front they have half the French pack, including hookers Julian Marchand and Peato Mauvaka, locks Thibault Flament and Daniel Meafu, and flanker François Cros – so Exeter have got a battle royale ahead of them at the Stade Ernest Wallon today.
Let's hold fire on Exeter's prospects because, as Baxter has acknowledged, they still have a long way to go. It also doesn't happen unless you have other spokes in the wheel, but Baxter has a good coaching team to support him.
The measure of a very good coach and set-up is to rebuild a winning team, and if Exeter consistently finish in the Premiership top four over the next few seasons – and get to a European Cup final – then congratulations are due. The same will be true if Feyi-Waboso does enough to make the Toulouse crowd stand up and take notice.
