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Leicester Tigers new club captain Ollie Chessum has been cleared to resume playing to Premiership rugby against Harlequins this weekend. While the majority of British & Irish Lions squad members cannot resume to their clubs until a later date, the Tigers forward has obtained an exception.

Chessum, who was injured for a large chunk of the prior term, ended up starting a limited number of fixtures and appeared off the bench on four occasions. Despite participating in all three Lions Tests against the Wallabies, the welfare oversight panel managing the health of star performers has allowed him to compete against Harlequins at their home ground on Saturday.

Contrasting Situations for Lions Teammates

The Quins, by comparison, will be missing Chessum’s fellow Lion Marcus Smith, who must wait another week before rejoining the fray. In contrast to Owen Farrell, who was similarly absent for a large part of the prior campaign and returned for his club's first league match, Smith was involved in a heavy schedule during the last campaign, comprising five Lions tour fixtures and is required to have a mandatory full 10-week break.

Drive from Historic Setback

Chessum, on the other hand, is eager to start and show that the Tigers can thrive this season despite the loss of Michael Cheika and multiple key individuals. Leicester featured in the league final in June, but Chessum reveals their heavy 80-12 continental competition setback by the French side is the game that has given their most enduring motivation. “It created a feeling of ‘We are never going to that place again’. Regardless of how we prepare, no matter how we are instructed, no matter tactics, we are avoiding a repeat.”

“It is the biggest setback in the club’s history and to acknowledge participation is humiliating really. So, it pains. You will always look back and just guarantee you avoid experiencing a result like that again.”

He continued, “I recall Cheik was almost in tears in the dressing room. The reason we were in the title decider earlier was due to what happened after that fixture in Toulouse. There was a real change in the entire squad.”

Injury Updates from Other Clubs

Bristol, meanwhile, have announced they have are missing primary number ten AJ McGinty for nine months after he suffered a setback in their first victory over the Tigers. McGinty has had surgery on his heel on the identical day that his number nine Harry Randall required an operation on his hamstring. Randall is expected to return in the coming months, while the recovery timeline for winger Gabriel Itoye, who similarly damaged his hamstring against Leicester and needs surgery, has yet to be determined.

Bath, for their part, have stuck with Max Ojomoh at fly-half for their home game against Sale on Friday. The Sharks, who similarly had a winning start to the season in the initial fixture, have made several necessary alterations to their starting XV, with fresh personnel taking over from the unavailable two key players in turn.