England stars Six Nations and season likely over after surgery
Rugby NewsThursday, 20 February 2025 at 08:12
, examines the composition of various national teams, shedding light on the number of foreign-born players and how they qualify for their respective squads.
England will be without rising star Immanuel Feyi-Waboso for the entire Six Nations after the winger finally underwent shoulder surgery.
Find your local Greene King and settle in for the 2025 Six Nations!
The 22-year-old dislocated his shoulder back in December, and after two months of uncertainty, he has opted for an operation—ending his chances of featuring in the tournament.
His hopes of making the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia this summer are also now in serious doubt.
Surgery confusion drags on
Feyi-Waboso’s recovery has been anything but straightforward. Initially, Exeter Chiefs booked him in for surgery, but Director of Rugby Rob Baxter later revealed the winger was considering skipping the operation in favour of rehab—keeping the door open for a Six Nations return.
Despite being named in Steve Borthwick’s squad on 14 January, confusion continued. The winger even joined England’s camp last week for a day of rehabilitation, sparking fresh hope that he could still play a part in the competition.
"Minor setbacks, we go again"
Those hopes are now over. Feyi-Waboso has undergone surgery, sharing photos from his hospital bed on social media with the caption:
"Minor setbacks, we go again."
What’s next for England?
England face Scotland on 22 February, but they’ll be without one of their most exciting attacking weapons as they look to reclaim the Calcutta Cup.
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UPDATED: Foreign-born players in the 2025 Six Nations
The following breakdown, based on data compiled by Americas Rugby News
This international blend underlines rugby’s global nature, with some nations leaning on overseas-born talent more than others. Ahead of round two, we've broken down the squads – and Scotland lead the way by a mile when it comes to foreign-born players.
ENGLAND
HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 39/41 (95.2%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 3/41 (7.3%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 3/41 (7.3%)
- Bevan Rodd (Scotland) - Parent
- Chandler Cunningham-South (England) - Born in England
- Harry Randall (England) - Born in England
- Marcus Smith (Philippines) - Parent
- Tom Roebuck (Scotland) - Parent
FRANCE
HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 39/42 (92.8%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 6/42 (14.2%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 6/42 (14.2%)
- Dany Priso (Cameroon) - Residency (2008)
- Uini Atonio (New Zealand) - Residency (2014)
- Giorgi Beria (Georgia) - Residency (2002)
- Joshua Brennan (Ireland) - Residency (2005)
- Emmanuel Meafou (New Zealand) - Residency (2023)
- Émilien Gailleton (England) - Parent
IRELAND
HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 30/36 (83.3%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 9/36 (25%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 9/36 (25%)
- Rob Herring (South Africa) - Grandparent
- Finlay Bealham (Australia) - Grandparent
- Cormac Izuchukwu (England) - Parent
- Joe McCarthy (USA) - Parent
- Jamison Ratu Gibson-Park (New Zealand) - Residency (2020)
- Bundee Aki (New Zealand) - Residency (2017)
- Ciarán Frawley (Australia) - Parent
- Mack Hansen (Australia) - Parent
- James Lowe (New Zealand) - Residency (2020)
ITALY
HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 21/31 (67.7%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 9/31 (29.0%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 9/31 (29.0%)
- Dino Lamb-Cona (England) - Parent
- Sebastian Negri (Zimbabwe) - Parent
- Ross Vintcent (South Africa) - Grandparent
- Martin Page-Relo (France) - Grandparent
- Stephen Varney (Wales) - Parent
- Juan Ignacio Brex (Argentina) - Grandparent
- Montana Ioane (Australia) - Residency (2020)
- Ange Capuozzo (France) - Parent
- Matt Gallagher (England) - Parent
SCOTLAND
HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 25/42 (58,1.3%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 18/43 (44.1%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 18/43 (44.1%)
- Pierre Schoeman (South Africa) - Residency (2021)
- Ewan Ashman (Canada) - Parent
- Dylan Richardson (South Africa) - Parent
- Will Hurd (England) - Grandparent
- Cameron Henderson (Hong Kong) - Parent
- Ewan Johnson (England) - Parent
- Marshall Sykes (England) - Grandparent
- Josh Bayliss (England) - Grandparent
- Jack Dempsey (Australia) - Grandparent
- Alexander Masibaka (Australia) - Parent
- Ben White (England) - Grandparent
- Fergus Burke (New Zealand) - Grandparent
- Tom Jordan (New Zealand) - Residency (2024)
- Rory Hutchinson (England) - Grandparent
- Sione Tuipulotu (Australia) - Grandparent
- Arron Reed (England) - Parent
- Kyle Rowe (England) - Cumulative Residency
- Duhan van der Merwe (South Africa) - Residency (2020)
WALES
HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 26/34 (76.4%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 10/34 (29.4%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 10/34 (29.4%)
- WillGriff John (England) - Parent
- Henry Thomas (England) - Parent
- Will Rowlands (England) - Parent
- Freddie Thomas (England) - Grandparent
- Christ Tshiunza (DR Congo) - Residency (2015)
- James Botham (Wales) - Born in Wales
- Taulupe Faletau (Tonga) - Residency (2001)
- Ellis Bevan (England) - Parent
- Nick Tompkins (England) - Grandparent
- Blair Murray (New Zealand) - Parent
- Ellis Mee (England) - Parent
Predictor Game:
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POINTS
5 Points: Total Tries Correct
15 Points: Time of 1st Try Correct
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A winner will be selected from those with the most points at the end of the game week
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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