Ollie Chessum out of England tour after surgery – and that opens door for Chandler Cunningham-South
Ollie Chessum, the Leicester forward, has been ruled out of England’s tour to Japan and New Zealand as well as the remainder of the Premiership season after requiring surgery on a shoulder injury.
Chessum, a shining light at both lock and blindside for England during the Six Nations, complained of pain and discomfort after Tigers’ last-gasp defeat to Bristol Bears 10 days ago and the decision was made to operate on the issue, ending the 23-year-old’s involvement in the 2023/24 season.
The surgery and subsequent recovery means that Chessum will not be available for either of Leicester’s final two Premiership matches, against Sale Sharks and Exeter Chiefs. The Tigers are mathematically out of the running for the play-off places but might need to finish a seventh-placed final finish in order to qualify for next season’s Champions Cup should Gloucester defeat Sharks in the Challenge Cup final.
“Leicester Tigers lock Ollie Chessum will miss the remainder of the 2023/24 campaign after having successful surgery to repair an ongoing injury,” said a club statement.
“The 23-year-old will begin his rehabilitation shortly and is expected to be available for round one of the 2024/25 campaign.”
Telegraph Sport understands that, even if there were a miraculous recovery, the 19-times-capped forward would not be risked for this summer’s England tour, instead prioritising a full recovery and pre-season. England play Japan on June 22 before moving onto Tests against the All Blacks on July 6 and 13.
Just as with Chessum’s team-mate at club and country, George Martin, the forward has participated in as long and intense a season as any on record. Just a month after losing in a Premiership semi-final to Sale Sharks last season, both were included in England’s training squad for the World Cup, featuring regularly on the journey to third place.
After the culmination of that tournament, the duo were back on club duty, before returning to the England fold for the Six Nations and subsequently starring for their club. Both – and Martin, in particular – have suffered with niggles throughout the season, having started just five Leicester matches together across all competitions.
Injury means all roads lead to Cunningham-South
To pinch a cricketing term, England do not bat deep at second row. Admittedly, hybrid Chessum slid to blindside flanker for the final two matches of the Six Nations – when his clubmate, Martin, was back fit and firing – but replacing the Leicester forward’s versatility will be one of Borthwick’s foremost selection decisions when picking his squad for Japan and New Zealand.
In shifting from lock to blindside and excelling in two of England’s most promising performances under Borthwick – the victory against Ireland and the narrow loss to France – Chessum had shown glimpses of a bright future. Courtney Lawes followed the same path, moving to six later in his career, and developed into one of England’s most valuable players, but his post-World Cup departure left a hole. It looked to have been filled by Chessum. Long-term, it hopefully still will be; short-term, Borthwick needs a contingency.
A 4-5-6 trio of Maro Itoje, Martin and Chessum made England’s forwards a force to be reckoned with once again. And with the latter two of those 22 and 23-years-old respectively, the heart of the English pack should be sturdy for years to come. If they all stay fit.
That will not be the case in Japan and New Zealand, however, so where will Borthwick turn? Should he choose to go the second-row route, Northampton’s Alex Coles and Saracens’ Nick Isiekwe were both named in the Six Nations squad, with the latter replaced by Bath’s Charlie Ewels because of illness. David Ribbans, part of last year’s World Cup squad, is ineligible after his move to Toulon but there are new faces emerging, such as England under-20s captain Finn Carnduff or Ewels’ lock partner in England A’s victory over Portugal in February, Rus Tuima.
In terms of the starting XV, assuming that Itoje and Martin continue at lock in New Zealand, blindside is suddenly freed up. Ethan Roots was solid on his first three appearances for England before losing his place altogether in the squad for the Irish victory. Tom Pearson of Northampton is highly rated but has struggled for fitness of late – plus, he is no line-out jumper, one of Chessum’s specialties and something which Borthwick regards as vital with his blindsides.
All roads, therefore, lead to Chandler Cunningham-South stepping up from his impressive bench role during the Six Nations and giving the All Blacks plenty to deal with from the start. In the opening 20 minutes of Harlequins’ staggering away victory against Bordeaux, the 21-year-old’s ball-carrying was awe-inspiring both in its volume and velocity.
Chessum still has a huge part to play in England’s future, but Cunningham-South is ready to show he is more than just a replacement.
