A year ago Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was living in halls of residence hoping to break into the Exeter University rugby union team, but 12 months on he has become one of the hottest properties in the English game.
The 21-year-old is preparing for his second season in the Premiership after a meteoric rise in which he became an England regular and scored a try in both Tests against the All Blacks in New Zealand in July.
“This has been the best year of my life, so far,” says Feyi-Waboso, who is still juggling top-flight rugby with a medical degree.
“Everything’s just seeming to go in the right direction, I’m just scared for a drop now.”
Having moved to Exeter Chiefs from Wasps after their financial demise in 2022 the Cardiff-born winger had a season to remember as he scored 15 tries in 28 matches for club and country – having picked England over Wales before the start of the Six Nations.
“The first proper pinch myself moment was obviously my first start, and I think it was my first kind of set of starts, I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve kind of established myself in this Exeter team,'” he says.
“Then the next one was definitely speaking to Steve [Borthwick, the England head coach,] on the phone. I was like, ‘Oh wow, he’s actually speaking to me,’ and then it was getting called up to England.
“All of the little benchmarks I hit this year were crazy. To win some awards at the end of the year as well, it’s just come all at once it feels like.”