Exeter provide positive update on Feyi-Waboso and Slade

The RFU have cleared Chiefs winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso to return to action before the club’s Premiership campaign begins against Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens on 28 September.

This means the England star, who only played 114 minutes after being suspended following a red card while playing for England A against France A, could feature in either the Premiership Cup match against Bath or a friendly at Coventry, which are both scheduled for Saturday, 20 September.

Exeter begin their Cup campaign against Gloucester at Kingsholm this Friday.

“Manny is fully fit, but as I’m sure you are aware, with other clubs we have requested some dispensation so we can get him playing in some of the Premiership Cup. So he will be available pre-Northampton,” said Exeter’s Director of Rugby, Rob Baxter.

“It’s purely based on game involvement. He has pretty much played one game since before Christmas, and everyone is very happy for him to have some involvement.”

Another player who will be available for the start of the season is Henry Slade, who had an operation on a fractured hand earlier in the summer but is on course to return to full training next week.

Meanwhile, Baxter says he expects Wallabies star Tom Hooper to see out his two-year contract in full, despite murmurs from Down Under that they want him to return early.

Hooper, 24, is scheduled to arrive in Devon after The Rugby Championship concludes in early October, and the indications are that they would like him to return at the start of 2027 to prepare for the home World Cup.

The former Brumbies star has become a regular for his country since signing for the Chiefs, but publicly Baxter is saying Hooper is staying for two years, though privately he might have to accept losing him early.

“The facts are that he has signed a two-year contract. Any player can come and discuss their contracts at any time, but I have not been approached by anybody,” he stressed.

“Whatever anybody else has heard, we’ve not heard anything other than he is under contract to us. You sign players to come and be very successful.

“And if they come and are very successful, that moves them up into international recognition. And those are the challenges that you want. I say it to our players all the time. I want to have the challenge of keeping them here.

“Because that means they are playing very well, and everyone wants them. What you don’t want in your team is a load of players that nobody else wants because you are not doing very well, then,” he said.