After dislocating his ankle in training on Tuesday, England's rising star Ollie Chessum is facing a tight deadline to recover in time for the World Cup.
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The 22-year-old lock had been a key player for England during the Six Nations before the unfortunate injury.
Chessum is set to undergo surgery on Monday and according to coach Steve Borthwick, he will be out of action for a period of five to six months.
"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."
Borthwick added: "I first saw Ollie during 2020 during Covid,' 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.'
Ronan O’Gara would rip up England’s backline
Ronan O'Gara sparked rumours of one day coaching England after admitting he would "love" the opportunity.
"Yeah it would be a great job I think actually, what a team," said O'Gara.
"I think there's so much potential there, serious rugby players, serious passion for the game in England. It's a cracking job. You'd love to have a go off that."
Speaking to BT Sport, O'Gara went into detail on his strategy built around 'KBA', standing for 'Keep Ball Alive'. His time with the Crusaders was pivotal.
"It's a mindset, something that interests me hugely. There's a massive ruck focus in the northern hemisphere and then when you go to the Crusaders it's 'KBA' - keep ball alive." A
We made up this backline based on quotes from the former Ireland fly-half along with the style of rugby he currently deploys with La Rochelle.
RONAN O'GARA'S ENGLAND BACK-LINE:
BACK-THREE:
15. Freddie Steward
14. Jack Nowell
11. Henry Arundell
Freddie Steward of England goes over for a try during the Autumn Nations Match between England and Australia at Twickenham on 13 November 2021. Photo: Micah Crook/PPAUK
CENTRES:
13. Elliot Daly
12. Ollie Lawrence
O'Gara believes Daly is an underrated operator and world-class goal kicker, selecting him in his 2021 Lions XV to face South Africa.
Ollie Lawrence of England during the Six Nations Match between England and Italy at Twickenham, London on 12 Feb 2023 (Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK)
HALFBACKS:
10. Marcus Smith
9. Jack van Poortvliet
O'Gara on Smith: "Interestingly, Ugo Monye told me, usually when you quiz the younger players they say 'I want to play for England', but he didn't blink an eye and said, 'I wanna be the best player in the world.'
"That's something that stays with you, and it's a big comment to make, but from what we've seen so far he's well on his way to having a good crack at it anyway."
Marcus Smith of England during the Guinness Six Nations match between England and France at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on Saturday 11th March 2023 | Photo: James Fearn/PPAUK.
