Ollie Chessum

Oliver Andrew Chessum (born 6 September 2000) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a lock for Premiership Rugby club Leicester Tigers and the England national team.

Early life
Born to Paddy Chessum and Michelle Bailey (of Bailey Trailers), Ollie Chessum is the eldest of 4 children. Chessum’s younger brother Lewis also plays for Leicester Tigers and England’s U20s.

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.

Club 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. He then went on to join Leicester Tigers in the summer of 2020. He made his Leicester debut at Kingsholm against Gloucester on 30 August 2020.

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.

Chessum started the 2021-22 Premiership Rugby final, and claimed a crucial loose ball to set up possession before Freddie Burns' 80th minute drop goal which sealed a 15-12 win for Leicester.

International career
Chessum played in 14 from 17 games at the start of the 2021-22 season and his form saw him called up for the 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. On 13 February 2022 Chessum made his England debut as a replacement in a 33-0 win over Italy in Rome.

Chessum played the first four games for the England in the 2023 Six Nations Championship, before dislocating his ankle in training ground accident in March 2023. On 7 August 2023, Chessum was named in England's squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

List of international tries

 * style="text-align:center;"|1
 * 12 February 2023
 * Twickenham Stadium, London, England
 * style="text-align:center;"|12–0
 * 2023 Six Nations Championship
 * style="text-align:center;"|2
 * 7 October 2023
 * Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France
 * style="text-align:center;"|5–0
 * 2023 Rugby World Cup
 * }
 * Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France
 * style="text-align:center;"|5–0
 * 2023 Rugby World Cup
 * }
 * 2023 Rugby World Cup
 * }