When Greg Fisilau was booked in for double shoulder surgery last summer, his first reaction was one of disappointment as it would mean he’d miss England’s tour of the Americas.
Once that sadness had worn off and the recovery process had begun, the Exeter No 8 faced a more practical problem.
‘I had one side done first and then the other four weeks later,’ the 22-year-old, who is one of three uncapped players in England’s 2026 Six Nations squad, tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘There was a conversation about doing both shoulders at the same time, but I genuinely wouldn’t have been able to wipe my own a**e! I was struggling with one.
‘My girlfriend Lydia was with me at the time and washing me. She actually did wipe my bum at one time. We’ve been together almost two years, so we’re at a good stage… the bum-wiping stage!’
Fisilau might have needed some of his partner’s help off the field, but this season he has needed little on it. He has forced his way into Steve Borthwick’s squad on the strength of his impressive club displays. Fisilau’s exceptional form has made him impossible to ignore. And an England debut could come in the next few weeks.
With his shoulder issues sorted, Fisilau focused on upping his weight in order to improve his ball-carrying at the request of both Borthwick and his Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter.
Greg Fisilau has forced his way into Steve Borthwick’s England squad for the Six Nations on the strength of his impressive club displays for Exeter
Fisilau has been focusing on upping his weight in order to improve his ball-carrying at the request of both Steve Borthwick and his Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter
The results have been impressive, with Fisilau now hoping to follow in the footsteps of Mako and Billy Vunipola, who also have Tongan ancestry, by wearing a white shirt at Test level.
‘One of the things Rob spoke to me about was putting on a few more kilos because it can be crucial around ball-carrying,’ Fisilau says. ‘Most of the messages from Steve have been around my ability to get over the gain-line as a ball-carrier. As a No 8, that’s a huge part of my position. Then there are things like tackle and set-piece dominance.
‘He wants dominance around the park. That was a goal I was trying to strive towards. I was around 107 kilos before the operations. I’m 110 or 111 now. I’m feeling really comfortable at this weight.’
The extra kilos came courtesy of the food of his ancestors, Fisilau travelling back to Oxford to see his Tongan-born parents Kenni and Kimela for off-season meals. ‘There was lots of Tongan food,’ Fisilau says with a smile.
‘The main one is Lu – big tarot leaves with coconut milk. You can put whatever meat you want into it – usually it’s lamb, or sipi (mutton). You wrap it up in tin foil and traditionally cook it in a pit in the ground with some coals on top of it. I was not trying to force-feed myself, just to put weight on gradually so I could adapt to it slowly.’
Fisilau’s father, former Plymouth Albion centre and Tongan international, Kenni, grew up alongside Fe’ao Vunipola, whose sons are former England forwards Mako and Billy. Fisilau is not related to the pair, but they are acquaintances who refer to each other as ‘family’.
The same description applies to another No 8 in Wales and Lions star Taulupe Faletau. Fisilau’s younger brother is even named Makobilly after the Vunipola brothers.
‘I was born in Plymouth and my parents tried to keep it as quite a traditional household,’ Fisilau says. ‘They tried to teach us as much as they could about Tongan morals. It was tough at times. There is strict parenting and a completely different culture raising kids in Tonga.
Fisilau during England’s pre-Six Nations training camp in Girona, Spain, this week
‘It would be absolutely massive,’ says Fisilau, when asked about the prospect of a potential England bow. ‘It’s something you only really dream of as a child’
‘But I believe it has made me the person I am today and I’m grateful for it. For some reason, I don’t know how, all Tongans, Samoans and Fijians seem to know each other through someone else. We’re very well connected with other Islanders and I never felt like I was a stranger growing up. I had a lot of cousins and family friends around me.
‘It was just a very warm household with a lot of people of different ages running around. You could never really get much peace and quiet to yourself. There was a lot of praying.
‘There was never any pressure to live up to expectations.’
Fisilau has been a member of England training squads before without appearing on the field. Borthwick is blessed with a plethora of back-row options from which to choose, meaning Fisilau undoubtedly faces serious competition.
But his dynamism and improved ball-carrying could make him a perfect member of the ‘Pom Squad’ – the nickname given for England’s forward replacements who impressed in the team’s unbeaten autumn campaign.
Borthwick’s men will face Wales a week on Saturday on a run of 11 straight wins and widely fancied to win their first Six Nations title since 2020.
‘It would be absolutely massive,’ says Fisilau, when asked about the prospect of a potential England bow. ‘It’s something you only really dream of as a child. It feels like such an honour to even be considered for it. It’s something my dad, mum and family have spoken about a lot. It would be such a big opportunity to represent my country and my family.
Ben Earl is England’s first choice at the back of the scrum but Fisilau is now firmly in the mix
Ben Earl is England’s first choice at the back of the scrum, but the decision of Tom Willis to move to France and rule himself out of Test selection has opened up an opportunity to Fisilau who says ‘the kind of No 8 I want to be is one that has a big effect both sides of the ball.’
The chance is one Fisilau is determined to take, starting with England’s pre-Wales training camp in Girona this week.
‘Having such a competitive positional group is good for me,’ Fisilau adds. ‘There was a point where I was like “It’s all right if I’m not getting picked, because there are world class back-rowers everywhere”. But at some point, you have to stop that and do your best to prove why you should be being picked.’
Fisilau has done exactly that. It now looks only a matter of time before he follows in the footsteps of the Vunipola brothers and becomes a senior England international.
