LONG READ Ollie Chessum: ‘There was no love lost but me and Henry are close friends. We have the same goal to get this England team winning’

When Leicester announced that captain Ollie Chessum had signed a contract extension last week, they did so with an extended interview that featured the England forward out clay pigeon shooting.

It was tempting to wonder whether he had Henry Pollock in mind as he took aim at the clays given their face-to-face spat during the East Midlands derby, which spilled over into the tunnel at half-time.

It was the second season running Chessum and Pollock had fallen out in public at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, which begs the question how the pair get on when they are on England duty together.

Can different personalities from different tribes really just flick a switch and become blood brothers?

“Whatever team we play for we are going to give 100 per cent – I’d expect nothing less of him and he’d expect nothing less of me – it just so happens we play for the two clubs that probably have the biggest rivalry in the Premiership,” said Chessum.

“There was no love lost in that game but come the following Monday, we were in camp and we were very clear we were in the same kit and had the same goal in mind which is to get this England team winning and winning silverware in this championship.

“There was a quick laugh and a joke about it and then it was all forgotten. Me and Henry are close friends and we’re very much on the same page now.

“Next up is Australia and we have to throw everything into that and kicking this campaign off in the right way with a win. We’ve not played at Twickenham for well over six months so we’re looking forward to being back in front of our people and putting on a performance that they are proud of and that we’re proud of too.”

We want to play a confrontational game, we want to get our set-piece into the game but we are also very aware that Australia have some real powerhouses in their forward pack.

Chessum and Pollock will be part of an England forward collective set on hunting down the Wallabies this weekend at Allianz Stadium.

There is a traditional way for England to go after Australia which is up the guts and Chessum – 6ft 7in of ginger Lincolnshire growl – isn’t shy of endorsing it for this latest meeting between the two sides.

“I think that’s the nature of English teams gone by and of the present,” he said. “The very nature of rugby is that it is won up front. The most physical team, the team that runs the most, the team that hits the most generally is going to come out on the right side of that scoreline.

“We want to play a confrontational game, we want to get our set-piece into the game but we are also very aware that they have some real powerhouses in their forward pack. Rob Valetini would be one and Harry Wilson, who has been an unbelievable leader for them as this Australia team has begun to grow.”

If Steve Borthwick does send his team out on bulldozer mode, it will play to their historical strengths but go against the grain of a domestic league that has been all champagne and perfume this season.

After all the tries, there will need to be a reset for the more granite demands of international rugby, but it will be less marked for the Leicester contingent in the England side.

“We play a very set-piece-orientated, kicking game at Leicester which I think does come into focus when it comes to international games. Scorelines are generally much tighter and those are the sort of scorelines we try to build at Leicester. We’re not going for that ‘you score, we score’ mentality and that’s certainly not a mentality that Steve wants to see here either. He’s very aware that the best defences win competitions,” said Chessum.

“The core of the current Leicester team was coached by Steve in their early days. He made it very clear that even though we were at the club, he was training us to be an international Test-match pack and to play that Test match-style rugby. It is something that maybe comes a bit more naturally to some of the lads we have – although that doesn’t discredit the style other lads are playing at their clubs in the Prem.”

Discipline can be a difficult fix because those penalties are given away by people trying to have an influence on the game. It’s just a case of making smart decisions.

Two key focus areas ahead of Australia, according to Chessum, have been the breakdown – because of the more attack-friendly way that is refereed in the Prem – and discipline, with England racking up 14 yellow cards and a red in their eight Tests so far in 2026, including four in their last outing against Argentina.

“There were cards everywhere against Argentina – for both sides – so we’re not blind to that, but discipline can be a difficult fix because those penalties are given away by people trying to have an influence on the game. It’s just a case of making smart decisions.”

That is the minutiae of this Sunday’s game. The wider picture is of a tilt at making the first Nations Championship final at the Allianz Stadium at the end of the month, with the autumn Test window now having a gleaming new trophy riding on it.

“The scheduling hasn’t changed but what is different is that there is something tangible to go after at the end of these four weeks. There will be a finals weekend and we want to make sure that we are in that competing for silverware. That adds a bit of extra for players,” said Chessum.

“We want to win as many trophies as we can in an England shirt. There’s an opportunity now in this Nations Championship to go and do that.”

I think the captain’s role does hold you accountable. If you say stuff during the week, you have to go and back it up.

Chessum, who will win his 39th cap on Sunday, heads into the international combat zone in prime form after winning the player of the match award in the Tigers’ win against Bristol last weekend. It was a continuation of the lead he has offered with his unflinching physicality and relentless work-rate since being appointed captain by director of rugby Geoff Parling at the start of last season.

“I do feel my game has grown over the last couple of years. That coincides with taking on the captaincy role at Leicester during that period, but I don’t know if there’s a correlation between the two,” he said.

“I think the role does hold you accountable. If you say stuff during the week, you have to go and back it up.

“Geoff has made it very clear to me that the best way to be a good captain is to play well and I’m very conscious of that.”

Chessum was added to England’s leadership group over the summer, a reflection of the regard in which he is held by Borthwick. It is a role he relishes.

“I’m loving it,” he said. “It’s an area of my game that I’m constantly trying to grow and to be able to sit in a room with the likes of Maro (Itoje), Jamie (George), Ellis (Genge), George Ford – those kind of guys that have won at international and club level – you get to see a different perspective on leadership. It’s great to pick their brains and see how they go about it.”

Is Chessum, then, England’s next captain when Maro Itoje calls it a day? At 26, he has time on his side.

“That’s not for me to say and it’s certainly not for now.”