Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, England’s prolific but injury-prone wing, is the 2026 team’s equivalent of Rugby World Cup winner Jason Robinson says assistant coach Kevin Sinfield.
Feyi-Waboso has scored nine tries in 17 appearances for England since making his Test debut against Italy in 2024.
However, his progress with England has been checked by a string of injuries.
He missed the 2025 Six Nations with a shoulder injury, while his 2026 tournament was ended by a hamstring injury sustained in training before England’s opening-round win over Wales.
He returned this summer, scoring in wins over Fiji and Argentina, but suffered an autumn-ending ankle injury in the first half of Sunday’s match against Australia.
Robinson, whose acceleration and side-step brought him 28 tries in 51 appearances for England between 2001 and 2007, tore his hamstring in the Rugby World Cup final defeat by South Africa in his final Test.
“He is our Jason Robinson,” said Sinfield, who played against Robinson during the pair’s days in rugby league.
“When you have a player who is that explosive and that powerful sometimes a run of injuries just happens.
“He’s across everything to do with his body and hopefully we get him back firing as soon as we can.
“That collaboration [between England and Feyi-Waboso’s club Exeter] is going be really important because these guys play a lot of rugby.
“Making sure they’re fit for those big games is going to be really important.”
England have the final say over the fitness and conditioning of centrally-contracted players such as Feyi-Waboso, but there have been disagreements in the past with Exeter over his treatment.
Relations have since improved with England signing off Fey-Waboso’s return for June’s Prem final, only three weeks after he suffered a facial fracture.
Feyi-Waboso played on after suffering his ankle injury in the 32nd minute of Sunday’s 45-22 win over the Wallabies, hobbling his way to half-time before being replaced.
Sinfield said that the desire of Feyi-Waboso, who is studying medicine, to stay on the pitch swayed the decision to keep him on.
“It’s getting the balance right, because the player is telling you he wants to try and run it off,” said Sinfield.
“You can’t scan anyone on the grass, so you’re looking at it with your eyes. I think it’s only right for us, as coaches, that we listen to players.”
England will be without Ollie Chessum, George Furbank and Seb Atkinson for Saturday’s match against Japan, while flanker Tom Curry has, like Feyi-Waboso, been ruled out of the entire autumn campaign after he aggravated a long-standing hip issue.
Saracens’ 20-year-old Noah Caluori, who made a try-scoring England debut against Fiji in July, has been called up in Feyi-Waboso’s place.