| venue: twickenham stadium date: Saturday, February 10th kick off: 16:45 GMT |
| coverage: Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live, watch live text on the BBC Sport website and app and watch on ITV1. |
Head coach Steve Borthwick said England will support Immanuel Fay-Waboso in their first match against Wales, scheduled for Saturday.
The 21-year-old winger was selected for England instead of Wales and made his debut in the first round match against Italy.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland has made some comments. “I wasn't very positive about him.” From 'some Welsh coaches'.
Asked about Fay-Waboso, Borthwick said: “We will give all the players all the support they need.”
He added: “There are three things about Manny: he practices really hard, he enjoys being around the players, and he spends the rest of his time studying towards a medical degree.'' That's what he's doing. He's pretty busy.”
“My experience right now is that he keeps his mind where it needs to be.”
The Cardiff-born winger has represented Wales in his age group, but thanks to his pedigree, he has also played for England, coming on as a late substitute in the opening game. Six Nations victory over Italy.
He moved from Cardiff to Wasps in 2022 before moving to Exeter Chiefs later that year after Wasps' death.
Fay-Waboso is studying for a medical degree at Exeter University, which may have influenced his decision to play for England.
“Manny's a pretty quiet player, but he doesn't seem to let a lot of things affect him. He's gotten through it and done his job better than anyone I've ever seen. ” said flyhalf George Ford.
“He's an exciting player. Very physical, quick. He's a game-breaker so I hope we can get the ball in his hands a little bit more.”
Fly-half Owen Farrell and flanker Tom Curry faced heavy criticism online during the World Cup, but Borthwick hopes to learn from that to better protect his players.
The former England captain was criticized for his tackling technique after being suspended for the World Cup warm-up match against Curry. be abused For reporting on allegations of racial slurs being used on the pitch during the semi-final loss to South Africa.
“We're really aware of that and it makes sense given our World Cup experience,” Borthwick added.
“There is now more awareness of external noise and external factors.”
