Ollie Chessum
Oliver Andrew Chessum (born 6 September 2000)[1] is an English rugby union player for Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby, his preferred position is lock, but he also plays back row.[2] He made his England debut in the 2022 Six Nations against Italy, and has played one match internationally for England.
| Birth name | Oliver Andrew Chessum | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 6 September 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Boston, Lincolnshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 18 st 8 lb (260 lb; 118 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Carre's Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Early life
Chessum began playing rugby at Carre's Grammar School in Sleaford at the age of 13, before playing club rugby for Sleaford, Newark and Kesteven.[3]
Career
Chessum was attached to Leicester's academy as a teenager but was not taken into the main senior academy at 16, instead he played for his club and the Notts, Lincs and Derby Rugby Union youth teams, during which time he represented England Counties at U18 level. He joined Nottingham straight from school and impressed at the club making 11 appearances.[4] He then went on to join Leicester Tigers in the summer of 2020.[5] He made his Leicester debut at Kingsholm against Gloucester on 30 August 2020.[6]
On 20 November 2021 he was named as the Leicester Mercury's man of the match for his performance in a 55-7 Premiership Rugby Cup win against Wasps.[7]
Chessum played in 14 from 17 games at the start of the 2021-22 season and his form saw him called up for the England squad for the 2022 Six Nations Championship on 18 January 2022, England coach Eddie Jones compared Chessum to Courtney Lawes, highlighting his lineout skills and his ball-carrying abilities.[8] On 13 February 2022 Chessum made his England debut as a replacement in a 33-0 win over Italy in Rome.
References
- "Ollie Chessum profile". ESPN Scrum. ESPN. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- "Ollie Chessum Leicester Tigers profile". Leicester Tigers. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- "Leicester Tigers player thanks teacher for encouraging him to play rugby instead of football". Lincolnshire Live. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- Charlie Morgan (21 January 2022). "Why England new boy Ollie Chessum personifies Leicester rebuild after vital Championship education". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- "Oliver Chessum to join Leicester Tigers ahead of 2020/21 season". Talking Rugby Union. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- "Gloucester v Leicester". Rugby World. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- Ethan Clamp & Bobby Bridge (20 November 2021). "'Immense': Leicester Tigers player ratings from 55-7 thrashing of Wasps". Leicester Mercury. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- Bobby Bridge (18 January 2022). "Ollie Chessum: England Six Nations squad call-up gets Courtney Lawes comparison". Leicester Tigers. Retrieved 18 January 2022.