England will be without exciting youngster Immanuel Feyi-Waboso for the remainder of the Six Nations following his decision to undergo surgery.
The 22-year-old wing dislocated his shoulder before Christmas and initially opted not to go under the knife after holding discussions with England bosses and senior figures at his club side, Exeter Chiefs.
Feyi-Waboso instead chose non-surgical rehabilitation, with England head coach Steve Borthwick saying there was a ‘possibility’ he could return before the end of the Six Nations. However, the youngster’s shoulder did not respond to the rehab, and he posted a picture of himself in hospital this week with the caption: “Minor setbacks, we go again.”
The procedure has put an end to Feyi-Waboso’s chances of appearing at the tournament. The medical student could miss the rest of the club season, which runs until May 31, and he is also in danger of missing the Lions tour this summer.
Feyi-Waboso was one of the breakout stars of last year’s Six Nations, having been given his England debut by Borthwick 12 months ago. The Cardiff-born star grew up in Wales but chose to represent England, and he has scored five tries in his first 10 senior international appearances.
Last month, Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter explained how Feyi-Waboso’s recovery had been hampered by the continuous back and forth between club and national team bosses.
The player signed an Enhanced Elite Player Squad (EPS) contract in October which gave Borthwick the final say on all sports science and medical matters.
“He’s barely started his rehab process really,” Baxter explained on January 8. “Because the toing and froing over whether he has an operation or goes for rehab is probably slowing both options down.
“I think it certainly would have happened quicker [if he had not signed the EPS contract], without doubt. We had things booked, ready to go, decisions ready to be made a week ago, and then the process you have to go through now has certainly slowed things down. That doesn’t mean, necessarily, that it’s wrong, but it certainly slows things down.”
England sit third in the Six Nations table with one win and one defeat from their two matches played. Both games were tight, with Borthwick’s men coming up just short against Ireland before narrowly pipping France. Scotland are up next, before they round off the tournament with favourable match-ups against Italy and Wales.