England star Ollie Chessum faces a race against time to be fit and ready for this autumn's Rugby World Cup taking place in France.
The 22-year-old lock has impressed head coach Steve Borthwick during the Six Nations, but dislocated his ankle during training this week. The Leicester Tigers star will undergo surgery on Monday and could be out for up to six months.
England have had an indifferent start to life under Borthwick in the Six Nations, beating Wales and Italy but losing to Scotland and France. They face Ireland on Saturday evening before World Cup preparations get fully underway - with under six months until their first group match against Argentina on September 9.
But England will face a nervous wait to find out if Chessum will be fit in time after his ankle injury. He was called up to the international squad ahead of last year's Six Nations and has earned seven caps.
However, Borthwick who has been impressed by the lock, has looked to reassure fans by admitting he remains confident he can return in time for September's World Cup.
"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."
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Chessum played under Borthwick at Leicester Tigers and was part of their Premiership title winning side in the 2021-22 season. The England head coach said he was impressed when he first saw the Leicester star in action, who had a brief spell with championship side Nottingham as part of his development.
"I first saw Ollie during 2020 during Covid," added Borthwick. "I watched games of him playing for Nottingham. 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."
