Chessum brothers “dream” of teaming up to play for England

• Ollie Chessum and his brother Lewis have been on similar rugby paths for two years.
• They have yet to play together in an England shirt.
• Steve Borthwick made the brothers race each other at the end of training sessions.

Ollie Chessum doesn’t look up to many people, but he has no choice when his 6ft 9in younger brother Lewis is around.

The siblings have been on similar rugby paths for about two years but have yet to play together. The fact that it could happen in an England shirt for the first time is even more remarkable.

Ollie, 22, is a Premiership winner with Leicester Tigers and has seven caps for England, making an early impression in England’s Six Nations campaign.

Meanwhile, Lewis is captain of England’s Under-20 team, and the second row, who turns 20 on Monday, is eager to follow in his brother’s footsteps.

The possibility of them lining up in the same pack for the first time is tantalising.

“We were close to doing it at school, but it never happened. It would be someday for the family “said Lewis, a member of Leicester’s senior academy squad.

“To do it in a Tigers shirt would be one thing, but to do it in an England shirt would be incredible,” Ollie added.

Such a result is in the hands of a man the brothers have worked with at club level – Steve Borthwick, who made the brothers race each other at the end of training sessions when he was Leicester’s head coach.

The England Under-20s trained with the senior team as England prepared for their Six Nations match against Wales on Saturday, and a race was once again in the works.

Ollie understood that there was “no way I could let Lewis win” given the stakes of bragging rights.

Lewis remarked that his running style was similar to a giraffe and appeared content enough with that.

He acknowledged that training with the top players in the English game was “surreal” throughout. Ollie, on the other hand, said: “It’s been pretty cool having him here in an England kit and both of us charging around the place together.”

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