England to support Cardiff-born Feyi-Waboso ahead of Wales game

The winger represented Wales at age-grade level but was eligible to play for England through family heritage and made his debut for Borthwick's side in their 27-24 win over Italy at the weekend.

Wales coach Warren Gatland said in January that a few Welsh coaches did not have many positive things to say about Feyi-Waboso after he chose to play for England.

Borthwick is aware that Feyi-Waboso could receive a hostile reception from Welsh fans and is keen to ensure he is protected from the same kind of criticism and abuse former skipper Owen Farrell received during the Rugby World Cup.

"We are cognisant of that, rightly so," Borthwick told reporters. "Given the World Cup experience, there's a higher awareness now of those external noises and factors. So we want to make sure we give all our players all the support they need."

Borthwick said Feyi-Waboso, who is studying for a medical degree at Exeter University, had so much on his plate he was unlikely to be distracted by external factors.

"With regard to Manny, what I've seen is a guy who trains really hard, enjoys being with the players and spends a lot of time studying for his medicine degree," he added.

"So he's very busy and I don't think he has too much time to dwell on these things."