Toulouse host Exeter Chiefs on Sunday in the opening pool stage game of the 2026/27 Investec Champions Cup

Exeter Chiefs look set to head to Toulouse in the Champions Cup opener with a makeshift back three as director of rugby Rob Baxter confirmed he is not expecting any of his injured wingers to be back to face the French Top 14 champions.

England star Immanuel Feyi-Waboso suffered a minor hamstring injury in Exeter’s 34-28 win against Newcastle Red Bulls in the Gallagher PREM on Sunday, while Olly Woodburn picked up an ankle injury in the defeat away at Bath Rugby. Speedster Paul Brown-Bampoe is still rehabbing after surgery on his heel over the summer.

Providing an update on his squad ahead of the trip to the Stadium de Toulouse, Baxter said: “I doubt it very much [that Feyi-Waboso will play this weekend].

“He had a scan; he's got some awareness there. The scan doesn't show up too much. “Scans tend to always show something, but actually on testing, he's very good. So, hopeful that we can kind of almost treat the symptoms he's showing and see where he gets to over the next week or so.

“Looking at how he's reporting on it post-game and yesterday, there's nothing I'm hearing from our physios to say that there should be a long-term issue.”

With Feyi-Waboso being in the England enhanced Elite Player Squad, his rehabilitation will be led by the medical staff from the national team, with a physio assessing him yesterday as Steve Borthwick has big plans for the explosive winger ahead of the fast approaching Nations Championship.

Feyi-Waboso’s absence certainly isn’t timely for Baxter who is facing a shortage of frontline options in his back three.

Baxter said: “Paul Brown-Bampie is not back for a little while yet. Obviously Campbell Ridl is out [with an ACL injury]. Woody's [Olly Woodburn] not far off, you know, he's progressing well, but are a little stretched there.

"But then we have still got guys who've got Premiership experience: Tommy Wyatt, Ben Hammersley obviously, Sam Harris has played some rugby for us now. So we've still got some options, and obviously Zack Wimbush we've utilized on the wing before, Nick Lilley has played Premiership rugby on the wing before. So although they wouldn't be classed as out-and-out wingers, we have had a few guys who we've deployed on the wing before.”

It is a better picture for Chiefs in the back, with Wallaby flanker Tom Hooper making his first appearance of the season against Newcastle, along with Italian backrower Ross Vintcent who ran in a brace of tries.

Baxter said: ‘A way the back three we are looking pretty good. It was great to see Tom Hooper come through his first minutes back with us, same with Ross Vintcent—they both went well. Nika Abuladze is pretty much there, so could feature probably next week, if not the end of this week. So we're getting there.

“Lewis Pearson is very close to being in full training now. So we're starting to get there on quite a few bodies as well.

And obviously, Dallas McLeod is due to arrive pretty much the end of the month, which is only a couple of weeks away now. He's played high-level wing as well—so that gives us a further option should we need it..”