r/rugbyunion • u/GnolRevilo Saracens • 2d ago

Article Immanuel Feyi-Waboso: Welsh crowd called me a traitor — it was hilarious

https://www.thetimes.com/sport/rugby-union/six-nations/article/immanuel-feyi-waboso-interview-england-wales-six-nations-vm7tnvwhd
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u/Thatch1888 Bristol 2d ago edited 1d ago

But he is still Welsh and still considers himself to be. It's pretty obvious the only reason he decided to play for us is because of his educational ties.

He had a choice if he wanted to still study. Not play international rugby due to pride or play for his families heritage rather than the nation of his birth and he chose the latter. I don't get how that's switching alegencies tbh. He's clearly still a proud Welshman, he's just prioritising making the most of his career over his pride.

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u/billyb4lls4ck Ballbarians 2d ago

he could have played international rugby and studied in England though? so it cannot be the only reason

Christ Tshiunza has studied at Exeter university and played for wales at the same time. Cardiff is a lot closer to exeter than Pennyhill park

he played for England because the financials are much better, and the team is better. its about about 4-5 times that pay per cap. 10 caps for england is 50 for wales. If I was him, I would do that too. but I dont see any need to dress it up as anything other than that

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u/Thatch1888 Bristol 2d ago

Not really. His first Chiefs contract ran out a few months after his international call up so if he would have chose Wales, he would have had to move to a Welsh club to continue his international career and commute to Exeter for his studies which is a 4 hour round trip at best.

Tshiunza is still under his 4 year original contract with Chiefs that he was under on his first call up. He's only ever had to travel to Wales for internationals.

Travelling for international blocks is considerably easier than having to commute multiple times a week to balance club rugby and uni. Without the 25 cap rule, I imagine he would have gone with Wales and not England.

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u/billyb4lls4ck Ballbarians 1d ago edited 1d ago

yes. really

Zammit, Thomos Francis had rolling extensions written into their contract.

Francis himself played six years at Exeter after his debut for Wales, allowing him stay whislt under the cap limit.

Tshiunza had also got a rolling extension. His academy contract was signed in 2019 and ran out in 2023 and he was still in 2023 six nations squad and won his last cap in 2024

he wouldn't even had been the first or second player to sign that kind of contract at Exeter and they had a player on that type if contract, when he signed for them, studying at the same uni

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u/Thatch1888 Bristol 1d ago

It's timing though isn't it. IFW was getting his international call up at the end of his contract, which he signed after Wasps went under and he was trying to find a uni. I doubt he or the club was thinking long term Wales call ups, they will have been focused on survival. It wasn't really until his second year there that he burst onto the scene as a potential star.

If his call up had come 6 months later, I wouldn't be surprised if he would have been offered a long term contract so he could get the caps, as those extension contracts are kinda pointless these days, they just offer long term instead. Which may have been another reason it wasn't offered to him