IMMANUEL FEYI-WABOSO could be lining up for Wales in the Six Nations if it wasn’t for Cardiff University.
The 21-year-old was rejected from the Welsh university, setting him on path that ultimately put him on England’s radar.
RexImmanuel Feyi-Waboso may have played for Wales if he had been accepted to Cardiff University[/caption]
Feyi-Waboso had applied to Cardiff Uni to study medicine, but was rejected despite earning three A* grades in his A-level studies.
Instead the Cardiff-born wing opted to move to England for university and ultimately began playing for Exeter Chiefs.
His move to Chiefs saw him garner attention before getting a call from Steve Borthwick who was impressed by the youngster.
Despite his Welsh upbringing, Feyi-Waboso is eligible for the England set-up on ancestry grounds thanks to his grandmother.
And he made his test debut for the Red Rose during their 27-24 Six Nations win over Italy earlier this month.
The rising star has admitted that he doesn’t think about what could have been if he had got into Cardiff Uni and possibly even lined up for the Welsh national team.
When asked if he wonders about the alternative route by the Telegraph, he said: “Not really, no. As soon as I didn’t get in, I didn’t think about it again.”
But Wales certainly do think about the player they have missed out on during the tug-of-war with the England coaching staff.
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Head coach Warren Gatland explained the reaction of assistant coach Neil Jenkins when he discovered Feyi-Waboso was choosing bitter rivals England over his home nation.
In his telegraph column, he wrote: “I can’t use the language that he used but it was basically along the lines of: ‘He was born in Cardiff and if he doesn’t want to play for Wales, then he can b****r off’.”
But Feyi-Waboso doesn’t have any regrets about his decision to join Exeter and ultimately England with the two sides allowing him to continue training as a doctor alongside his rugby.
He now studies medicine at Exeter University and is relishing the challenge of balancing his studies with his time on the pitch.
He said: “If I wasn’t playing rugby, my ideal situation would be just to stay in Uni, keep learning, keep going.
“But obviously, I feel like being a doctor is a career of constant learning.
“You don’t really stop. You do five years in Uni, then you have two foundation years, then specialise… it’s not boring.
“Neither is rugby. It’s very interesting. It’s constantly learning, seeing new players, new systems and stuff like that. So it’s pretty cool.
“My driving force, I feel like it’s something that’s now habitual. It’s just something that I really want to do: become a doctor.”
Unbelievably Feyi-Waboso has even admitted that he will have to revise in camp with the England team doctor with an exam coming just a matter of days after England face France next month.
GettyFeyi-Waboso made his England debut against Italy in the Six Nations[/caption]
PAThe 21-year-old plays his club rugby with Exeter Chiefs[/caption]