Ollie Chessum

About this episode

Ollie Chessum shares his unconventional journey into professional rugby and discusses his personal life and friendships.

From welding at the family business to only match fee rugby contracts, Ollie Chessum has had an unconventional route into professional rugby. The Leicester Tigers lock opens up on how he avoided a Premiership academy route from his state school, growing up in rural Lincolnshire and taking on the big brother role for his two siblings following his parents’ split.   Chessum also reveals the importance of his friendship groups in camp, the challenge of finding size 15 boots as a teenager and the various nicknames he’s got from different players.   In this podcast you will also hear from Ollie's mum Michelle Chessum, his coach that introduced him to rugby Ben Pickard and teammate Will Stuart. FOLLOW: ▪️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/englandrugby/ ▪️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redrosesrugby/ ▪️ X: https://twitter.com/EnglandRugby/ ▪️ X: https://twitter.com/RedRosesRugby/ ▪️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@englandrugby ▪️ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@englandrugby ▪️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialEnglandRugby/ ▪️ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/englandrugby   MORE: 💻 https://www.englandrugby.com/ 🛒…

People in this episode

Guest: Ollie Chessum

Topics covered

• professional rugby
• personal journey
• family dynamics
• friendship
• sports challenges

Keywords

• Ollie Chessum
• rugby
• Leicester Tigers
• family
• friendship
• size 15 boots
• Premiership academy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Leicester Tigers

More episodes of England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line

• Alex Matthews · May 12, 2026 · 23 min
• Kelsey Clifford · May 5, 2026 · 25 min
• Emma Sing · April 21, 2026 · 21 min
• Mo Hunt · April 7, 2026 · 27 min
• Guy Pepper · March 3, 2026 · 24 min
• Joe Heyes · February 17, 2026 · 27 min