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'England need his gifts... they're something the Lions will be relying upon'
By
PA
Jason Robinson is backing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso to defy his inexperience and take the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour by storm.
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Robinson believes that England’s clash with Australia on Saturday and against world champions South Africa a week later provide the perfect stage for Feyi-Waboso to illustrate why he should be facing the Wallabies next summer.
The 21-year-old only made his debut in the Six Nations but has already become an automatic pick under Steve Borthwick having plundered five tries in seven appearances, including a touch down in three consecutive matches against New Zealand.
England and Lions great Robinson believes he has the attitude and physical attributes to make an impact in the Test series in July and August.
“Manny’s not got the experience of a lot of players in his position but we’ve seen that for England and Exeter he is a game changer,” Robinson said at the launch of the 2025 Lions kit in London.
“He’s certainly one of those who could make an impact down in Australia. The way he finished off that try against the All Blacks on Saturday, not many players are able to do that. He’s young and he’s hungry. He’s really enjoying being there.
“When he gets the ball, even if he doesn’t have space, he’s making metres. Every time he plays he’s up there with metres gained. He’s strong and gets over the gainline. His footwork and overall speed are gifts.
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“England need his gifts at the moment and I’m sure they’re something the Lions will be relying upon once they get to Australia.
“He’s one of the form wingers at the moment and I’m sure at the back of his mind he will be wanting to play for the Lions.
“The next two weeks are massive for him, from an England perspective but also from his own perspective, because Australia and then South Africa will be a real test to see where he is on the international stage.”
With the Lions tour looming on the horizon, the Wallabies’ slump has come into sharp focus.
Former Ireland boss Joe Schmidt is trying to induce a revival following last autumn’s World Cup fiasco overseen by Eddie Jones, but his side are ninth in the global rankings after losing five of their six Rugby Championship matches.
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Schmidt has only five matches in which to accelerate the Wallabies’ improvement ahead of the Lions’ visit.
“Having played Australia over the years, as a rugby league and union player, I know they are proud nation,” said Robinson, a star of the 2001 Lions tour Down Under.
“Sometimes when you write a team off it gives them even more motivation to prove those critics wrong.
“I think they’ll be a lot better than many people are giving them credit for. I think it will be really competitive.
“There’s not a lot of time but momentum can change and it can change in just one game.
“If you can start by getting more consistency in performance and then that turns into wins, then all of a sudden the mindset is different and confidence is up.
“Australia are in a development phase at the moment. Come next year they’ll back themselves because they’ve got some good players.”
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