England’s hopes of gatecrashing Ireland’s Grand Slam party in Dublin on Saturday have been hit by the loss of Ollie Chessum to an ankle problem.
Chessum sustained the injury in training on Tuesday and while no timeframe has been given for his return, he will definitely sit out the climax to the Guinness Six Nations on St Patrick’s weekend.
The 22-year-old nine-cap international has overshadowed more established second-row partner Maro Itoje throughout the tournament on account of his work rate and impact across the field.
But his breakthrough Six Nations is over in a significant setback for England, who will now choose between David Ribbans, Nick Isiekwe, George Martin and Jonny Hill for his replacement at the Aviva Stadium. “Ollie will be a huge loss.