Immanuel Feyi-waboso passes HIA but Exeter stop return

immanuel feyi-waboso passed his head injury assessment after a first-half collision, but he still was not allowed back on in Exeter’s Challenge Cup semi-final defeat at Ulster. Rob Baxter called the process behind the decision perplexing. Exeter lost the tie and will now turn to next week’s meeting with Bath from fourth in the Prem Rugby table.

Baxter Questions the Decision

Baxter said the sequence around the winger’s removal did not make sense. “Our player leaves the field and passes his HIA, but is not allowed to go back on because the independent doctor says the actions on the field make it an immediate removal.”

He also said: “You have a refereeing decision with an official judgement of minimal head contact, and most of the contact through the shoulder.” For Baxter, the key issue was that the player had already completed the assessment yet was still barred from returning.

Stockdale’s High Tackle

The incident came after Jacob Stockdale was sent to the sin-bin 10 minutes before half-time for a high tackle on Feyi-Waboso. Exeter’s winger was forced off after half an hour in the semi-final, and the match moved on without him while Ulster finished the job and reached the Challenge Cup final.

Baxter said the situation was “really odd” and “a perplexing one.” He added: “The Ulster player doesn't come back on with a damaged face. It doesn't add up, does it?”

Feyi-Waboso’s Recent Run

The concern around the decision lands against a strong run from Feyi-Waboso. After a hamstring injury ruled him out of the Six Nations, he returned to score four tries in as many matches.

Baxter said he hoped the winger could be back “next week,” and also said Exeter had “a bit of frustration” from the outcome. The broader issue now sits with a player who had just found form again and a club that heads into Bath with one of its most in-form attackers still under a cloud.