It was entirely in keeping with Steve Borthwick’s first Six Nations in charge of England that their player of the tournament, Ollie Chessum, suffered a serious ankle injury that threatened his World Cup participation. Chessum was one of the few bright sparks of a disappointing campaign but a training ground injury before March’s Six Nations finale in Ireland left him with a race against time to be fit for England’s campaign in France.
It is credit to his powers of resilience that the 22-year-old has battled back against the odds having been told he could be sidelined for up to seven months, making his first start since March against Fiji last Saturday. That match did not go to plan – far from it – but if England are to fight their way out of their World Cup pool they will need Chessum to rekindle the form he showed earlier this year.
