The family business - Rise of England's Chessum brothers
Older brother Ollie present England U20s skipper, and younger brother, Lewis with his jersey last week
©Michelle Chessum
On Saturday 4th February, Ollie Chessum made his first Twickenham appearance after earning his first cap against Italy in the 2022 Six Nations and missing out on autumn selection due to injury.
Seeing him wear number five and pack down against Scotland must have provided a feeling of déjà vu for the Chessum family after his younger, but by no means smaller, brother Lewis had done the same the night before.
On Friday night Lewis took to the field over the road at Twickenham Stoop wearing the same number for England u20s.
With this came the captain’s armband for the age group team and the England shirt that was presented to him by Ollie the previous evening.
The only difference between the two brothers at the weekend was that Lewis’ England team won.
“It was very special," Ollie said. "Not many people have a younger brother playing international rugby at Under-20s, on the same weekend, in the same position, against the same opposition. It was a really special moment for us two. There was talk about being able to see him the night before, but I didn’t know I was going to be presenting his shirt.”
Captaining the side that started off their u20s Six Nations campaign with a 41-36 win against Scotland was a hugely memorable occasion for Lewis.
“It was an absolute honour and a privilege [to captain the side]," he said warmly. "As someone who has grown up watching England, to put on the shirt and be able to lead the boys out, I won't forget this day for a long time. Our family are proud as punch. I'm just as proud of Ollie as he is of me.”
Both of the brothers play their club rugby at Leicester Tigers and have developed connections with England head coach Steve Borthwick from his time in the East Midlands as a result.
Borthwick holds the importance of family close, and as such, it was no issue for Ollie to leave the England camp for the evening to present Lewis’ shirt.
“Steve is a top bloke like that," Ollie said. "I’ve had the privilege of working with Steve for the past two, three years of my career and he’s a great bloke. He works us hard, his attention to detail is second-to-none but he realises there’s a bigger picture outside of rugby. Boys have families, and he’s more than happy for me to go away and share that moment with my brother, which I can only thank him for.”
Growing up watching Leicester provided Lewis with role models, in particular another set of Tigers brothers, Ben and Tom Youngs.
“I've always looked up to the Youngs brothers," Lewis said. "The fight, effort, and heart that they put into Leicester in particular. It's my home club and I grew up watching Leicester. Being involved in that set-up and around those boys I've grown up watching is massive.”
Ollie lead the way in playing rugby, starting off at Carre's Grammar School and then Sleaford Rugby Club with Lewis soon following suit.
“Ollie got shoved into rugby by a PE teacher back at school, Ben Pickard, and I just followed him down at the local club Sleaford," Lewis said. "My brother moved on but I stayed there. We started playing at the same sort of time but never got to play together. It would be a dream come true to run out alongside my brother for England.”
Ollie Chessum played his rugby at Kesteven Rugby Club for a time
©Mike Ainsworth
The older of the Chessum brothers went on to play for Newark Rugby Club, before moving to Kesteven Rugby Club, based in Woodnook, near Grantham. Ollie played at Fortress Woodnook for two years before moving on to play for Championship side Nottingham, and then Leicester Tigers.Lewis also went to Carre's Grammar School and followed a similar pathway after Sleaford, playing for Nottingham and making his way through the Tigers system.The Lincolnshire-based family are massively proud of the boys and travels to watch them play as much as they can.Their mum Michelle has spoken on the radio recently about the success of her sons and is a hugely supportive figure in their lives.“I’ve heard she’s been doing the rounds!" Ollie said. "I’ve played a few times for England, Lewis is captain of the under-20s and we’ve got a younger brother [Dylan] who has just started his rugby journey.” “She’ll follow us everywhere. Unfortunately, she didn’t make it out to Australia but has been on the sideline for pretty much all of my Leicester games, England games, and the same for Lewis. She travels the country, bless her, and is proud as can be. I love her seeing me play."
