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Electric England rookie Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has the X-factor credentials to stun the All Blacks over the next two weekends – according to the team-mate he calls ‘Grandpa’.
The 21-year-old Exeter wing is preparing to face New Zealand after a breakthrough season when he went from being a medical student waiting for his chance in senior rugby to making such an impact for his club that it left two countries vying to pick him.
He’d grown up in Wales, but England made a compelling approach and he pledged allegiance to them, due to family, employment and university links to the east of the Severn Bridge.
Feyi-Waboso has not looked back, since that mid-winter period of speculation, when he became the most wanted man in British rugby. Steve Borthwick not only picked him, but ensured that England unleashed him, to devastating effect.
A Test debut in Rome was followed by a first international try against Scotland at Murrayfield, then a starring role in the stunning Red Rose victory over Six Nations title favourites Ireland at Twickenham.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is preparing to face New Zealand after a breakthrough season
The 21-year-old Exeter wing has gone from being a medical student to making a big impact
Having missed the championship finale in France due to concussion, Feyi-Waboso was restored to the starting XV against Japan in Tokyo on June 22 and marked his return with a stroll-over try as England crushed the Brave Blossoms 52-17. Now, he has arrived in Auckland with a stated aim of not being over-awed by the reputation of the All Blacks.
New Zealand teams are always known for having deadly, predatory runners out wide. Oval-ball history is littered with the exploits of fast, elusive, explosive and prolific Kiwi wings, but England believe they have a new asset who can turn the tables in the same way.
That view was outlined by Henry Slade, the Exeter centre who has become a senior statesman for the Chiefs and also for the national team – and is referred to as ‘Grandpa Slade’ by Feyi-Waboso. ‘He’s 21 so, to him, I suppose I am old,’ said the veteran, before acclaiming his junior side-kick’s talent, his rapid progress and his capacity to unsettle the host nation out here.
‘That guy is one of the most freakishly-gifted athletes I’ve ever seen,’ added Slade. ‘At the start of the season, his goal was to break into the Exeter University team. Look what he’s doing now. He’s playing for England and he’s won the Premiership’s Young Player of the Year award.
‘People who have never played against him probably underestimate him. The first time he plays against someone, he does really well. They (All Blacks) probably wouldn’t have heard much about him or seen much of him. But if he gets on the pitch, I reckon he’ll give them a shock.’
Henry Slade says Feyi-Waboso has the X-factor credentials to stun the All Blacks
Feyi-Waboso is bound to get on the pitch. Now he has claimed a place and made his mark, it is highly unlikely that Borthwick will demote him. He has been wreaking havoc all season, as Slade recalled.
‘It wasn’t in training that I first got hit by it (his talent), it was Newcastle away at the start of this year,’ he said. ‘He got the ball in his own half and took off through two blokes without breaking stride. They just hit the floor, then he rounded the full-back and scored. I was a bit shocked running after him to celebrate.
‘He seemed to keep doing stuff like that week after week. I was thinking ‘This guy is very, very special’. I try my best to keep his feet on the ground, obviously. I give him a bit of stick every day. But it’s great to have someone like that in the team – someone who can make something out of nothing. That’s what you need to win big games.’
The decision to fast-track Feyi-Waboso into the Red Rose back division was followed by a long overdue tactical liberation, which has seen England expand their attacking repertoire and display a more daring streak. So has that helped the newcomer find his feet?
‘Yeah, we have put more emphasis on the way we want to attack,’ said Slade. ‘Some of the players in the team have got unbelievable X factor, talent, speed and power. It’s about getting the ball out to boys like Manny and Tommy Freeman. They’re unbelievable runners, so we want to get the ball into their hands to see what they can do.’
New Zealand teams are always known for having deadly, predatory runners out wide
The positive strategic trend resumed in Tokyo, where England scored eight tries in the rout of Japan, despite having not played together for three months.
The hope is that an additional fortnight of training will create even more vital cohesion and fluency against the All Blacks, in the opening Test in Dunedin next Saturday. And if Marcus Smith and Co can give him time and any sort of space in possession, New Zealand might end up as shocked as Grandpa Slade thinks they will be.
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