IF anyone needed reminding just how important Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is to Exeter Chiefs, they got their answer at Sandy Park on Saturday.

The 22-year-old winger lit up the afternoon with a blistering hat-trick in Exeter’s 38-15 victory over Newcastle Red Bulls, firing Rob Baxter’s men to their first PREM Rugby win of the season.

The England international’s performance was electric – a mix of raw speed, power and precision finishing that left Newcastle defenders chasing shadows. His three tries took his tally to five for the season already, remarkable considering he has played just three games since dislocating his shoulder last December.

His comeback has been nothing short of explosive, and his impact is already shaping Baxter’s new-look Exeter side. After months of rebuilding and fine-tuning on the training ground, the Chiefs are beginning to rediscover their ruthless edge - with Feyi-Waboso very much at the heart of it.

“The reality is Manny is a world-class player, but he will be the first to admit he’s not fully flying yet,” said Baxter. “His game time since just before last Christmas is three games, that’s it. He is nowhere near ready to fly, yet he still looks really, really good.

“The pleasing thing is we are giving him opportunities. Part of our issue last season were how few opportunities we gave our best players to be on the ball as much as possible. That’s changed, as has our error count. I know we had a bit of a wobble last week [at Northampton] but that has gone through the floor and it’s making a real difference.”

The match began brightly for the hosts, though it could have been even better. Ben Hammersley squandered a golden opportunity to open the scoring when he dropped the ball with the line at his mercy, after a delightful chip-and-chase from Henry Slade, who would go on to convert four of Exeter’s six tries.

The early miss did little to shake the home crowd, and moments later, Feyi-Waboso opened his account. After a quick break from Dan John, the ball was recycled at pace, finding the winger to crash over by the posts.

Newcastle briefly hit back through a Brett Connon penalty, but Exeter’s response was immediate, No.8 Ross Vintcent punishing the visitors’ failure to claim a high ball, collecting the loose bounce before racing clear.

The Chiefs could have extended their lead further before the break. Paul Brown-Bampoe spilled a gilt-edged chance from a Harvey Skinner cross-field kick, while debutant scrum-half Stephen Varney lost control just short of the line after a close-range snipe.

Still, Exeter’s pressure told before half-time. Feyi-Waboso doubled his tally with another sharp finish, before Joseph Dweba – already fast becoming a cult hero at Sandy Park – powered over from the back of a driving maul.

Newcastle’s George McGuigan clawed one back with a similar maul try, but by then, the visitors were already chasing shadows.

The second half brought more of the same: sustained Exeter dominance, clever game management, and one man stealing the spotlight as Feyi-Waboso claimed his hat-trick, gathering a lofted cross-field kick from Skinner to dot down by the posts.

Skinner added his own name to the scoresheet, intercepting a loose pass to race in from distance, before Newcastle had the final say through Alex Hearle, who touched down in the corner following a scrappy Exeter line-out.

Chiefs: D John; I Feyi-Waboso, H Slade, B Hammersley (N Lilley 69), P Brown-Bampoe; H Skinner, S Varney (C Chapman 67); W Goodrick-Clarke (K Blose 57), J Dweba (J Yeandle 57), J Iosefa-Scott (B Tchumbadze 57); D Jenkins (capt), A Zambonin (R Tuima 70); E Roots (L Pearson 63), G Fisilau, R Vintcent (K James 63).

Tries: Feyi-Waboso (3), Vintcent, Dweba, Skinner. Cons: Slade (4).

Red Bulls: L Williams (E Obatoyinbo 57); O Spencer, C Doherty, E Grayson, A Hearle; B Connon (B Chamberlain 69), J Elliott (J Dickens 78); M McCallum (A Brocklebank 62), G McGuigan (capt, O Fletcher 67), L De Bruin (R Palframan 12-73); J Hodgson (O Usher 67), F Clarke; C Nield (F Lee-Warner 57), T Gordon, A Mafi.

Tries : McGuigan, Hearle. Con : Connon (39). Pen : Connon

Referee: C Maxwell-Keys

Attendance: 7,791