The businessmen and women on the rooftop terrace of Sandy Park’s Courtyard Hotel don’t bat an eyelid when halfway through their meeting, a young man takes to the grand piano in the bar.
With their focus on the PowerPoint presentation, they are completely oblivious to the fact it is an England international and Lions hopeful who is tinkling the ivories.
‘I’m a bit rusty,’ says Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, before sitting down and delivering a near-perfect rendition of Lewis Capaldi’s Someone You Loved.
‘With my injury, piano has been on the backburner. I haven’t been playing much, even though I still can. I’m going to buy a proper piano for my house.
‘I’ve only got a keyboard at the moment. If I hear a song, I just Google the chords and try and work out the melody from there. I like to play John Legend and Alicia Keys as well.’
Watching on, it is impossible not to feel envious at the effortlessness with which the 22-year-old delivers a skill he works on only in his spare time.
With talent in sport, academia and the creative arts, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso really does seem to have it all both and on and off the field
Watching on, it is impossible not to feel envious at the effortlessness with which the 22-year-old delivers a skill he works on only in his spare time
Feyi-Waboso is recovering from serious shoulder surgery and has not played since December
That’s in between him currently recovering from serious shoulder surgery and sitting in on plastic surgery sessions as part of his ongoing medical studies.
With talent in sport, academia and the creative arts, Feyi-Waboso really does seem to have it all both and on and off the field. Chief among his current thoughts, though, is the British and Irish Lions.
Feyi-Waboso remains an outside bet to tour Australia this summer. He missed the Six Nations and hasn’t played since December 21. But he has a message for Andy Farrell, the Lions head coach.
The England wing is still hopeful of facing the Wallabies, even though his planned return for Exeter’s final two games of the Gallagher Premiership season will come after Farrell names his Lions party on May 8. Feyi-Waboso is keeping his fingers crossed. He believes he can be ready.
‘I’m still hopeful about my chances,’ he says. ‘I’d love to play for the Lions.
‘My timeline to get back is after the Lions squad announcement. I’m trying to push it forward, but we’ll have to see. It’s a goal I want to chase in my career because if you’re from the United Kingdom, the Lions is one of the highest honours you can achieve in rugby, other than winning the World Cup. Being in the squad would be massive.
‘I say that about the Lions, but I also want to get on the England tour (to Argentina and the US) in the summer. There is everything to play for. The physios know my target. To have goals is really important when you’re in rehab. You need something to drive you.
‘I understand the recency reasoning of selection. When I come back, I won’t have played for a long time. And there will be others who have and played well.
The England wing is still hopeful of facing Australia this summer, even though his return for Exeter’s last two games of the season will come after Andy Farrell names his Lions squad
The 22-year-old is sitting in on plastic surgery sessions as part of his ongoing medical studies
After scoring against New Zealand last autumn, he dislocated his shoulder at Sale before Christmas
After choosing to represent England over Wales, Feyi-Waboso took to international rugby like a duck to water
Feyi-Waboso’s injury became a big talking point, something the player was confused by
‘Being realistic, I’m assuming no one knows who I am now. I feel like when you’re injured, you fade into obscurity a little bit. When I come back, I plan to do the same things that got me to where I was in the first place and hopefully that helps.’
Last season was Feyi-Waboso’s breakthrough campaign. He made his England debut in the 2024 Six Nations on the back of exceptional try-scoring form for Exeter.
Soon enough, he was central to Steve Borthwick’s plans. After choosing to represent England over Wales, Feyi-Waboso took to international rugby like a duck to water, and was central to the cathartic last-gasp win over Ireland at Twickenham 12 months ago.
But after scoring against New Zealand last autumn, he dislocated his shoulder at Sale before Christmas. The months since have not been straightforward.
Feyi-Waboso’s injury became a big talking point, something the player was confused by. As one of 17 England players on an enhanced elite player squad contract, the final say on Feyi-Waboso’s medical matters is decided by the RFU, in collaboration with Exeter, under the terms of the new Professional Game Partnership.
The initial decision was for Feyi-Waboso not to have surgery and hopefully play in the Six Nations at some point. But when he rejoined England’s championship training camp, he re-dislocated the shoulder and went under the knife.
The scenario wasn’t ideal and led to both the RFU and Exeter boss Rob Baxter having their say on the messy issue. Among the politics, it must not be forgotten an injured player was at the centre of the issue.
‘I don’t really know what all the noise was about to be honest,’ Feyi-Waboso says, explaining the circumstances surrounding his injury for the first time.
Feyi-Waboso remains an outside bet to tour Australia this summer having missed the Six Nations and he has not played since December 21
As an aspiring doctor and current medicine student at the University of Exeter, Feyi-Waboso has taken a particular interest in the mechanics of his recovery
Feyi-Waboso is fascinated by the surgeries he has had and is happy with the decisions he made
‘I didn’t pay too much attention to it. I’m happy with the decisions I made. Both Exeter and England wanted the best for me. I don’t know why it became a big thing, but it did. Now, I want to move forward from it.
‘All the decisions were my choice and all parties respected my wishes. I have no complaints or regrets. I tried to put myself in the best position to play as much rugby as I could.
‘If I’d had surgery straight away, I’d have definitely missed the Six Nations. I’d have maybe been fit for the rest of the season, but then you want to play the Six Nations to give yourself the best possible chance for the Lions. It was a very hard decision.
‘When my shoulder first came out, I knew straight away. I was going to give rehab without surgery a go and hammer it out in time to be back for the Six Nations.
‘But when I re-dislocated it, that was when I was the most frustrated. That was definitely the most gutted I’ve been in my career so far. It was at Pennyhill Park.
‘Up until that point, I was feeling strong. We were doing fitness testing and hadn’t got to contact yet. If you re-dislocate, you have to have surgery. That’s when it all properly sunk in the Six Nations was completely gone.’
As an aspiring doctor and current medicine student at the University of Exeter, Feyi-Waboso has taken a particular interest in the mechanics of his recovery.
‘This is my first long-term injury, so it’s a new experience for me,’ he says. ‘I had something called a Latarjet procedure which, in simple terms, is a bone block. I’m getting to know a lot more about shoulder anatomy!
Last season was Feyi-Waboso’s breakthrough campaign. He made his England debut in the 2024 Six Nations on the back of exceptional try-scoring form for Exeter
He has five tries in his first 10 Tests for England, and is a dynamic threat going forward
After undergoing shoulder surgery, you might think the last place Feyi-Waboso would want to return to is a hospital
‘The shoulder is cool because there is a bone near it that is, anatomically, quite interesting. It’s naturally curved just enough to fit on to and around the socket. When you have a bone block, they take bone from its original position and screw it on to the socket as an extra part so it can’t come out.
‘Mine was taken from elsewhere in the shoulder. It’s supposed to make it stronger than the anatomical shoulder. When I do come back, hopefully I’ll be on top form.’
After going under the knife himself and spending long days at Sandy Park working diligently to strengthen his shoulder – all with the goal of the Lions in mind – you might think the last place Feyi-Waboso would want to return to is a hospital.
But that is exactly what he’s done.
‘After rugby, I do want to be a doctor although I’m still not sure what route I want to go down,’ Feyi-Waboso adds. ‘Plastic surgery is pretty cool. I went on an amazing placement on that recently at a local hospital. It was for patients who have suffered with breast cancer. If it spreads to the lymph nodes, it needs clearing out and that can mean a mastectomy.
‘I watched some of that. I also watched someone be treated for a tumour removal in their head. How they went about doing that was crazy, so cool.
‘The individual’s face was cut wide open. If I was ever going to faint in theatre, it was then, but I stayed strong!
‘It was definitely the most invasive surgery I’ve seen. The number of cuts and stitches they had to do was insane.
Feyi-Waboso is adamant he will be a doctor when his rugby playing days come to an end
At just 22 years old he is already one of the most exciting players in world rugby
Duhan van der Merwe, James Lowe and Darcy Graham are other speedsters that Lions coach Andy Farrell will be considering. But, if fit, Feyi-Waboso certainly offers a point of difference
‘It put all surgery into perspective for me, including mine! Surgeons do an incredible job because when you come out of an operation and you just see little scars, it’s a tiny portion of the work they’ve put in before that. Being up close and watching it made me realise there is so much knowledge I’m not even close to knowing!’
With Feyi-Waboso absent, England had a strong finish to the 2025 Six Nations, recording four straight wins over France, Scotland, Italy and Wales to finish second.
Tommy Freeman, who started in Feyi-Waboso’s favoured right wing position, impressed by scoring in every round, the first Englishman to do so. Freeman is now very much a Lions wing contender.
Duhan van der Merwe, James Lowe and Darcy Graham are other speedsters Farrell will be considering. But, if fit, Feyi-Waboso certainly offers a point of difference.
He watched England’s Six Nations matches at the house he shares with his brother Josh, a qualified doctor, in Exminster.
‘I’ve been going to Exeter’s games to support the boys. But to be honest, if I had it my way, I wouldn’t go because I find it very tough,’ Feyi-Waboso says.
‘I haven’t been to watch any of the England games live. I just don’t want to. I watch from home. I’d rather just remove myself from the environment. I like my solitude, to be honest.
‘I was still celebrating in my house when the boys were winning. It was amazing and great to see the growth in the players and the way we played. We’re moving in the right direction.
Feyi-Waboso could not face going to the England games live this Six Nations but celebrated their wins from home
Even if he ends up missing the Lions, a long and successful England career beckons
He insists that having had the Six Nations taken away from him, it makes him want more from his career
‘It’s a big change from last year when I was living in student halls, but I definitely prefer it!’
It is refreshing to speak to a player with interests outside the sporting realm. Feyi-Waboso has several strings to his bow and is all the better for it. Even if he ends up missing the Lions, a long and successful England career beckons.
‘I’m at the club every day for rehab – you’re in more when you’re injured than when you’re playing. It’s given me a bigger appreciation of playing than I had before,’ he says.
‘It’s always the case that when something is taken away from you, you want it more. If anything, I have less time for university now than I did before.
‘The reason I’m pursuing medicine is because I enjoy learning. There aren’t many careers where you can never know everything. That’s what interests me. If I had it my way, I’d have stayed in school for the rest of my life. That’s how much I enjoy learning!
With Feyi-Waboso absent, England had a strong finish to the 2025 Six Nations, recording four straight wins over France, Scotland, Italy and Wales to finish second
Feyi-Waboso has several strings to his bow and is all the better for it
Feyi-Waboso has his sights set on making a big return and making it either onto England’s tour or the British and Irish Lions’ trip to Australia
‘I’ve never been a massive drinker, I don’t like the taste. But because I’ve been injured, I haven’t been drinking and I’ve definitely been avoiding the student parties. There’s only one place to go in Exeter and I feel old in there!
‘I just chill at the house. After my injury, I was told to start taking more protein and supplements. I didn’t do that before.
‘There is an element of impatience. I just really want to get back out there now and speed up this process as much as I can. It’s reinforced to me I do want to play rugby for as long as possible. It’s made me think about life after it. I think I’ll miss it a lot!
‘When I do get back, I’ll be excited. There will be pressure I’ll put on myself to perform, but I’ll also make sure to be grateful and enjoy it.’
