England rocked by injury crisis as Immanuel Feyi-Waboso set to miss rest of Nations Championship

England are counting the cost of an impressive victory over Australia after star wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was ruled out of the rest of the Nations Championship because of an ankle injury.

And in a series of further blows to Steve Borthwick’s men, Seb Atkinson (hip), Ollie Chessum (shoulder) and George Furbank (groin) are to miss Saturday’s showdown with Japan while Tom Curry will play no part in the autumn.

Curry aggravated a long-standing hip problem in training last week and has now been stood down for the remaining three fixtures.

The grim medical update robs England of four starters from the team that thumped the Wallabies 45-22 on Sunday, each of them key personnel but none more so than Feyi-Waboso.

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Cruel run of injuries

The explosive Exeter back sustained the injury to his right leg in the first half at Twickenham and limped on until the interval, shortly before which he was also the victim of a hip-drop tackle by Angus Bell.

Until that point he was England’s most dangerous runner in a continuation of the form he showed in the climax to the July tour against Argentina, beating a host of defenders through his speed and power.

It continues a cruel run of injuries for Feyi-Waboso, who has been limited to 17 caps since making his debut in the 2024 Six Nations because of shoulder, hamstring and concussion issues.

Borthwick must now make at least four changes against Eddie Jones‘ Japan when he names his team on Thursday.

Enforced changes

As a back row who also covers wing, Henry Pollock replaced Feyi-Waboso at the interval and produced an electric two-try cameo that has strengthened Borthwick’s conviction that he is a genuine option out wide – even as a starter.

However, against Japan the headline-grabbing 21-year-old looks set to feature in the pack as Ben Curry is managed following his recent return from a long-term hamstring problems.

“It’s not that I’m refraining from playing him on the wing, but he might be needed in the back row,” Borthwick said.

“The reason being – and things can change very quickly – is that although Ben Curry played really well, he only got back a couple of weeks ago and playing Test rugby was a big step.”

Cursing his luck

He added: “Right now it would be unlikely that I would start Ben Curry next weekend, but I want a full assessment.

“I’ve talked a lot about togetherness and cohesion in building this young side so I don’t want to make wholesale changes, but given the medical report it’s probably looking a few more than I would have liked.”

Furbank joins Feyi-Waboso in cursing his luck, with his comeback after two years in the Test wilderness because of a broken arm, calf problem, concussion and appendicitis coming to a halt after one match.

However, it is hoped he will return alongside Chessum and Atkinson for the box office fixture of the autumn against New Zealand on November 21, with the Nations Championship finals taking place the following weekend.

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