Ollie Chessum faces a race against time to be fit for the Rugby World Cup after picking up an unfortunate injury in the build-up to this weekend’s clash against Ireland.
The 22-year-old has been extremely impressive during England’s Six Nations campaign, starting every game throughout but will miss his side’s final fixture.
The lock picked up an ankle injury on Tuesday ruling him out of the trip to Dublin.
Read More: 🚨Ireland team to face England this weekend has been announced 🍀
“Ollie (Chessum) dislocated his ankle on Tuesday afternoon and has subsequently seen specialists and had investigations. He will have surgery on Monday and his return to play is estimated at somewhere between five to six months,” Steve Borthwick @LeicesterTigers @EnglandRugby
— chris jones (@chrisjonespress) March 17, 2023
Steve Borthwick revealed that he will undergo surgery on Monday and may be sidelined for up to six months, leaving him with a very tight deadline to get back into the squad.
‘I think you’ve seen the growth of a player who looked at home at this level.’ said Borthwick
‘I was chatting to him this morning and the determination he has to be back on the field and back in an England shirt is quite immense. He will have the opportunity to be fit and back on the field for the Rugby World Cup.
‘I saw this guy run as hard as he could and empty everything he had, with no holding back.
‘I immediately thought: “There’s something special about this guy.” He’s played back row, second row, he’s started calling line-outs for the first time, you see how brilliant he is under kick offs, he carries the ball. We certainly miss him already.’