England back row Ollie Chessum admitted he was “spooked” by France’s speedster Louis Bielle-Biarrey as he ran in a 60m intercept try in England’s 48-46 Six Nations defeat. Chessum scored twice and set up a third in a thrilling Paris clash but said he had “copped a lot of stick” for not running closer to the posts.
Chessum’s pace was no surprise to Leicester Tigers coach Geoff Parling, who revealed the 25-year-old has been clocked at 9.3 metres per second. “As soon as he got the intercept I knew he was going to score,” said Parling.
Despite the loss, Chessum praised England’s performance as a return to their style of play, even though the campaign ended with just one win from five games and a fifth-place finish.
After returning from Paris, Chessum joined Leicester Tigers to watch their 66-14 Premiership Rugby Cup win. He will likely feature in Sunday’s big home clash against Bristol, with a playoff spot still up for grabs.
Chessum, Leicester captain this season, said he hasn’t considered leading England yet but is focused on contributing on the pitch and helping the team seize opportunities in a “sprint finish” to the season.
