Immanuel Feyi-Waboso: No direct Wales or England contact says Exeter wing

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is a former Wales Under-18 international

Exeter wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso says he has had no direct contact with Wales or England after an impressive start to the Premiership season.

Feyi-Waboso, 20, is eligible for both countries but was born in Wales and has trained previously with the Wales national squad.

"Neither of them have spoken to me directly," Feyi-Waboso told Scrum V.

"As far as I'm concerned at the moment it's all chatter and at the moment I don't want to entertain the chatter."

The player himself has reservations as to whether he is ready for international honours.

"I feel there's a lot of my game that I need to work on, a lot that I'm still learning," said Feyi-Waboso.

"It's up to the coaches whether they decide if I get called up or not.

"It would be a huge privilege to get called up. I would love to be called up but there's a lot of my game that I need to work on to be considered an international.

"It's nice to hear the chatter but you need to know where you are."

But who would be the priority for the Wales Under-18s international? "I was born in Wales, Wales is my home country. I speak a little bit of Welsh," said Feyi-Waboso.

"They do have a pretty good back three at the moment with players like Josh Adams, Rio Dyer and Louis Rees-Zammit."

Eligibility and excelling at Exeter

Despite playing for an English club, Feyi-Waboso is eligible to play for Wales because he is currently uncapped.

Conversely, his Exeter team-mate Joe Hawkins is ineligible because having won five caps, the centre moved from Ospreys for the start of the 2023-24 season.

Those playing outside of Wales are now required to have 25 caps to represent their country after the number was dropped from 60 in February 2023.

The Professional Rugby Board (PRB), which is made up of representatives from the Welsh Rugby Union and professional sides, deemed Hawkins ineligible.

Feyi-Waboso, who turns 21 in December, is excelling at Exeter having arrived there last season after his previous club Wasps went bust.

"I really liked Exeter as a place, there were a few Welsh boys here already. Christ, Daf , Oli Burrows and Dan John.

"It's an amazing place, a good club with a good culture.

"I came in at the tail-end of last season and it was hard to establish myself with all the world class names that were here.

"But I did what I could, on loan playing for Taunton but also learning a lot from the coaches here.

"I feel like I was just coasting away with my knowledge sometimes but here I've learnt so much in that first three months I was here.

"It was crazy the amount of knowledge I was able to pick up."

Doctor ambitions

Feyi-Waboso has also ended up at Exeter because of his switch to the city's university for his medical studies.

The ambition of becoming a doctor has played a pivotal part in the clubs he has played for.

Born to Nigerian parents, Feyi-Waboso grew up as one of six siblings in Llandaff, Cardiff.

He kicked off his club rugby journey with Rumney RFC and went through the Cardiff age-grade system, while also being heavily involved in athletics specialising in hurdles and high jump.

He was involved with the Cardiff academy, while juggling rugby commitments with his school studies at Bristol's Clifton College, and made his only first-team appearance against Ospreys in the 2021 Pro14 Rainbow Cup.

Feyi-Waboso left Cardiff after failing to secure a place at Cardiff University to study medicine despite his excellent grades of an A* and two As.

"I really wanted to stay in Cardiff, it was my home club and everything I knew and wanted to do in Cardiff at that point like university," he said.

"I spoke to [Cardiff academy manager] Gruff Rees, he was so accommodating and is a really good guy.

"I always told him I wanted to do medicine and become a doctor alongside playing rugby and he was all right with that.

"Unfortunately I didn't get into Cardiff University. Genuinely I think Gruff and Cardiff, the whole club did help as much as they could but it was out of their hands and that was fine."

Feyi-Waboso took up a place to study at Aston University in Birmingham and linked up with the senior Wasps academy.

When the Premiership club folded in October 2022, Feyi-Waboso chose to start again in Exeter university and link up with Rob Baxter's side.

Balancing medical studies and professional rugby is a path travelled by former Wales internationals Jamie Roberts and Hallam Amos, who quit the sport to become a doctor.

"So far, it's going well," said Feyi-Waboso.

"I've just restarted the first year here again so I can balance rugby and medicine. I'm managing weeks, lectures and seminars.

"When I was in Cardiff, Hallam gave me his number and was really helpful when I asked him about combining rugby and medicine, Ioan Davies at the Dragons too.

"A lot of people went before me, it's nice they have paved the road and makes it a lot easier for me."

For full interview with Exeter wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, watch Scrum V Sunday on BBC Two Wales at 18:00 GMT on 19 November or catch up on demand.