Feyi-Waboso Stars in England’s 45-22 Win Over Australia, Then Hurt
England beat Australia 45-22 as wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso made 113m from eight carries before halftime, then went off with an ankle injury. His availability for next week's Test against Japan is in doubt, and the win eased pressure on coach Steve Borthwick.
England wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso made 113m from eight carries and beat seven defenders in the first half of England's 45-22 win over Australia, then left the field with an ankle injury at halftime.
His absence could matter next week, when England face Japan. Coach Steve Borthwick's side may be without him "and potentially beyond".
The 23-year-old Exeter player was the standout of the opening 40 minutes. None of those figures was matched by any other England player, even though he played only 32 minutes uninjured.
His ankle was caught under prop Angus Bell's weight. Feyi-Waboso watched the second half from the sidelines in a protective boot. A prognosis is still to come.
He had missed England's entire Six Nations campaign through injury. Keeping him on the field after the knock may prove a decision England regret, depending on the diagnosis.
Pressure on Borthwick
The performance carried extra weight for Borthwick. A newspaper report earlier in the week said a rift had opened between the players and their coach in Argentina in July, at the end of the summer campaign.
England's senior players denied it. They described a team where input is valued, and promised proof on the pitch against Australia.
They delivered. Number eight Ben Earl celebrated a third-minute scrum success loudly, hooker Jamie George bellowed into the stands after the opening score, and captain Maro Itoje was mobbed after an early charge-down.
Henry Slade was embraced after a late try-saving tackle on Max Jorgensen. Ben Curry's big hit on fly-half Declan Meredith set the physical tone.
England also played with ambition. Full-back George Furbank, in his first Test in nearly two years, hit a line, threw a dummy and slipped an offload to set up a try for Jack van Poortvliet. Slade and Seb Atkinson directed play well.
Earl's celebrations once drew online mockery. South Africa hooker Bongi Mbonambi called such back-slapping "plastic energy" after the 2023 Rugby World Cup semi-final, which South Africa scraped through against Borthwick's side.
The effort contrasted with England's February visit to Twickenham, a 42-21 defeat by Ireland.
Henry Pollock, with freshly peroxided hair, replaced Feyi-Waboso on the wing and scored two tries in a cameo.
