Manny Feyi-Waboso cleared to play in Premiership final after facial surgery

Manny Feyi-Waboso has been declared fit to return for Exeter in this weekend’s Prem final at Twickenham. England’s star winger underwent facial surgery barely two weeks ago but, in a major boost for the Chiefs, is available for his side’s showdown with Northampton and, potentially, England’s Test against South Africa on 4 July.

Rob Baxter, Exeter’s director of rugby, said the decision was ultimately taken by Feyi-Waboso himself after England’s medical team indicated they had no objections to him playing. The 23-year-old had a plate inserted in his jaw this month but is now free to bolster the Chiefs’ efforts to secure a first Prem title since 2020.

“All the information is very, very positive,” said Baxter, keen for Exeter to show the absolute best of themselves on their return to Twickenham. “It’s not like there’s damage that needs protecting so let’s get on with it now.

“For obvious reasons he’s been in a red bib so players know to avoid any level of contact but we’ve done very little tackling this week, even grab tackling. He’s been running around so is fully ready to go.”

Feyi-Waboso’s enhanced England contract means the national management also has to approve his return but Baxter said the decision had boiled down to the wishes of the player himself. “The process is that the three parties need to align but the principal person who drives it once they’ve got all the information is the player.

“England haven’t been obstructive in allowing Manny to make that decision. They’ve been fully behind the call. The surgeon and everyone has given him all the information. He’s been fully assessed. They’re very happy for Manny to make the decision and that’s how it should be. England have been fine with it.

“It’s always up to the player really. I never tell any player they have to play. When it’s a close call one way or the other, you hand it over to the player and he’s declared himself fit. It’s not something I’ve had to be involved with.”

Exeter are also set to be boosted by the return of their England back-row Ethan Roots, who missed the dramatic semi-final win over Bath because he was still going through precautionary head injury protocols. The wing Campbell Ridl has also been declared fit after being withdrawn early at the Recreation Ground with a bruised knee.

Given their ninth-placed finish in last season’s table, the Chiefs were not widely expected to reach this week’s final but Baxter has been stressing the importance of making the most of the opportunity now in front of them. “Winning the final’s not the hard part, the hard part is getting here,” Baxter said.

“On Monday morning we had a very frank meeting and said: ‘Right, the semi-final’s done now, let’s move on.’ You can really look back and enjoy it if you win a final. As good as the Bath game was, it didn’t lead to us winning the Premiership. But if we play well this weekend that game might have been one of the games that led us to win in the Premiership and then we can really enjoy it.”

Exeter’s last appearance in the domestic showpiece came in 2021 when they lost narrowly to Harlequins, having claimed a league and European double the previous year. This time Northampton are the bookmakers’ favourites but Baxter insists Exeter will give it everything with and without the ball.

“We’ve got to fight in all areas,” he said. “We can’t try and let the game be about Northampton’s attack against our defence because if it gets to that stage you’re probably losing it. There’s multiple ways to skin a cat but we’ve just got to make sure it’s not just about us trying to nullify their attack. It’s about making sure we attack as well.”