'Nice side of sport': The England pick who has beaten the odds
It has been quite the 21 weeks for Ollie Chessum in between visits by England to Dublin. Last March, head coach Steve Borthwick delivered the disappointing news at the SAS Radisson St Helens that the nine-cap youngster would need an operation to mend the ankle seriously damaged on the training ground that week.
Now after a summer of sweat and toil in rehab, he is set to play off the England bench back in Dublin and prove his fitness just in time for the Rugby World Cup. Perfect.
The 22-year-old had been in line to start his fifth successive match in the Guinness Six Nations earlier this year but instead of lining out against Ireland in the championship finale, he was left facing a race against time to be fit for September’s French adventure.
“Ollie dislocated his ankle on Tuesday afternoon and has subsequently seen specialists and had investigations,” explained Borthwick grimly at the time. “He will have surgery on Monday and his return to play is estimated at somewhere between five to six months.”
It was March 16 when Borthwick announced that prognosis for “a guy who looked at home at Test level”, putting his potential return at anything from mid-August – borderline for World Cup selection – to mid-September, which would be too late as the tournament would be into its second round of matches.
Chessum had told Borthwick straight away not to write him off. “I was chatting with him Thursday morning and the determination he has to be back on the field, back in an England shirt, is quite immense,” added the coach when delivering the injury news last March at a Six Nations round-five media briefing.
Since then, Chessum has been part of the England squad every step of the way this summer, named in their injury rehab category on June 12 and training the whole way through.
He was still listed among the injury rehabbers when Borthwick named him on August 7 in the squad of 33 for the World Cup and now, having avoided all potential setbacks, Chessum was named at No19 when this week’s England Summer Nations team was confirmed at 4pm on Thursday.
New England assistant Richard Wigglesworth would have seen the early part of the Chessum recovery on the Leicester training ground in April when he was Tigers’ interim head coach. He is chuffed that the lock has timed his run perfectly for World Cup warm-up match selection.
“It’s the nice side of sport when you see someone put in so much effort and then get rewarded with an international spot,” enthused Wigglesworth after England completed their preparations to face Ireland with no captain’s run hiccups at Aviva Stadium.
“He has been incredibly diligent, has done everything he can to get back. Will it be perfect for him from the get-go? No. But has he done everything he can to put himself in that position? He has. Delighted for him. Incredibly impressed by him. He is raring to go.
“The prognosis we were given then is that he would have a good chance (of being fit for RWC). He accelerated that with how well he recovered. Usually, there are setbacks along the way, and he has not had any. He has not had them.
“He was probably back a few weeks even before he thought he might be originally. There was always a chance, so there was that light at the end of the tunnel for him that he could give this a good go and he certainly has.”
It was late June in Cape Town when Lewis Chessum explained to RugbyPass the influence his older brother had on the career development of the England U20s captain. “I’d say my brother at this stage of my career is my biggest role model,” he enthused.
“Having seen what he has achieved in the period of time he has achieved it, how he plays as a player, how he is off the pitch, how he is around everyone, he is someone that I look up to massively. For my development, I probably wouldn’t be as far along the line as I am without almost competing with him as a young kid.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Unfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
35 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
1 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
33 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
33 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
33 Go to comments