1
Ojo asks one thing of England after Feyi-Waboso’s call-up
By Chris Jones
Former England wing Topsy Ojo is calling on head coach Steve Borthwick to give Immanuel Feyi-Waboso a chance to showcase his raw talent in the Guinness Six Nations championship to ensure he can be a force at the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Uncapped Feyi-Waboso, who is also qualified for Wales, has been drafted into Borthwick’s Six Nations squad after a series of sensational performances for Exeter Chiefs, but there will be concerns the wing could suffer the same fate as Adam Radwan, the Newcastle Falcons speedster, who was picked and then quickly discarded by Eddie Jones in favour of more established options.
Ojo, who is now a leading television pundit, accepts that Feyi-Waboso will need to prove himself in England’s training camp in the build-up to the Six Nations opener with Italy on February 3, but said: “If Feyi-Waboso is going to be there in Australia in 2027 then his journey is starting now and it is a case of what do we need to see and how do we expose him. All you want is for him to be given a fair opportunity to showcase what when he can do and then it is a case of how he matures and keeps adding to his game.
“The first thing will be to see what he looks like in an England camp, being coached by the England coaches working with other players from different clubs. Then it is about how Steve (Borthwick) exposes Feyi-Waboso to Test rugby. He has played just 15 senior games and shown that he is a player with potential who we can work with and if he is ready to be selected then you have to give him the opportunity to learn, to develop and fail I guess, but also back him.
“It may be a case then of we have had a look at you in camp and don’t feel you are quite ready and so go back to Exeter and work on these things and get yourself ready for the summer tour. That may be his development. The priority is to get a team to win against Italy in Rome and long term there will be a vision and the aim will be to get the majority of these guys ready for the next Rugby World Cup.”
Trending on RugbyPass
2
South Africa player ratings | 2024 Autumn Nations Series
3
Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu admits anger at Australian rugby
4
Fissler Confidential: Willie le Roux rumours ignite after Bok star spo
5
Latest Comments
Agree with Wilson B- at best. And that is down to skilled individual players who know how to play the game - not a cohesive squad who know their roles and game plan. For those who claim that takes time to develop, the process is to keep the game plan simple at first and add layers as the squad gels and settles in to the new systems. Lack of progress against the rush D, lack of penetration and innovation in the mid-field, basic skill errors and loose forwards coming second in most big games all still evident in game 14 of the season. Hard to see significant measureable progress.
Go to commentsKeep telling yourself that. The time for a fresh broom is at the beginning - not some "balanced, incremental" (i.e. status quo) transition. All teams establish the way forward at the beginning. This coaching group lacked ideas and courage and the players showed it on the pitch. Backs are only average. Forwards are unbalanced and show good set piece but no domination in traditional AB open play. Unfortunately, Foster - Mark 2. You may be happy with those performances and have some belief in some "cunning plan" but I don't see any evidence of it. Rassie is miles ahead and increasing the gap.
Go to comments