Immanuel Feyi-Waboso turned down Wales to play for England (Image: Getty)
are set to repeat their trick with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and snatch another talented rugby star from under the noses of ahead of the
Having already denied Wales boss Warren Gatland , England are homing in on hooker Kepu Tuipulotu, who is eligible to represent the Red Dragons.
The 19-year-old was born in Pontypool and has a sister, Sisilia, who currently plays for Wales. His cousin, Carwyn, also previously featured as a back-rower for the Welsh Under-20s side.
But England appear to have gained the upper hand on the rising star, who currently plays for Bath Rugby, after was invited to attend a training session with England’s senior side during the Autumn Nations Series.
Tuipulotu could have also played for Tonga due to his family roots, but chose to represent England after joining the London Irish academy.
He first caught the eye playing for England’s Under-18s and is poised to receive a call-up to the U20 squad for their age-equivalent version of the Six Nations.
But coaches are already lining up a potential fast-track promotion to the senior squad.
Reports suggested there could be some questions over his eligibility to play for the 2003 World Cup winners, as his stint attending school in Harrow would not count towards his residency.
Bath Rugby’s Kepu Tuipulotu, 19, was born in Wales but is set to represent England (Image: Getty)
In that case, Tuipulotu would have faced a long wait as players are required to be registered exclusively with a Union or Rugby Body in the country for 80 months immediately preceding the time of playing, according to Regulation 8.1(c) in World Rugby’s eligibility rules.
However, the world governing body have since loosened their requirements, reducing the length of time to 60 months – meaning he may not have to wait for a call-up from Borthwick after all.
It will represent another win for England, as Tuipulotu has impressed since joining Bath in the summer.
He made his professional debut in November, when he scored a hat-trick of first-half tries in a Premiership Rugby Cup win over Ampthill.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso snubbed the chance to represent Wales in January 2024 (Image: Getty)
It comes a year after Wales missed out on Feyi-Waboso, 22, who was courted by England coach Steve Borthwick.
Feyi-Waboso came through the ranks at Cardiff Rugby but was forced to leave for Wasps and begin his medical studies at Aston University after failing to get a place at Cardiff University.
Since then, he hasn’t looked back, making his Test debut in the Six Nations opener against Italy in Rome and playing an integral part in the Red Rose setup.
He is one of the names in the frame for a place on the British and Irish Lions tour if he recovers from shoulder surgery in time, leaving Wales to regret their failure to recruit him for their national team.