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Leicester Tigers new club captain Ollie Chessum has been given the green light to come back to Premiership rugby versus the Harlequins this weekend. While the vast bulk of Lions tour squad members are not being permitted to their clubs until a later date, the Leicester player has been granted special dispensation.

Chessum, who was injured for a large chunk of last season, began in a limited number of fixtures and featured from the replacements four times. Despite taking part in every Lions Test match against the Wallabies, the player welfare committee managing the well-being of top players has allowed him to face Harlequins at Leicester's stadium this weekend.

Contrasting Situations for Tour Colleagues

The Quins, by comparison, will lack Chessum’s tour colleague Marcus Smith, who is required to postpone another week prior to his return. In contrast to Owen Farrell, who was also sidelined for an extended period and was reinstated for the start of the domestic season, Smith participated in a heavy schedule during the last campaign, comprising five non-Test Lions tour games and must take a compulsory rest period.

Drive from Previous Loss

Chessum, however, is eager to start and demonstrate that Leicester can succeed this season in spite of the loss of Michael Cheika and several key individuals. Leicester competed in the league final at the end of last season, but Chessum reveals their thumping eighty to twelve continental competition setback by Toulouse is the match that has given their primary inspiration. “It created a feeling of ‘We are never going to that place again’. No matter how we train, no matter how we are coached, no matter tactics, we are not returning.”

“That was the biggest setback in the franchise's past and to acknowledge participation is embarrassing honestly. So, it stings. You will always look back and just ensure you avoid experiencing a score like that again.”

He added, “I remember Cheik was visibly upset in the dressing room. The reason we were in the championship match the previous season was as a result of what transpired after that match in Toulouse. There was a real change in every player.”

Injury News from Other Clubs

Bristol, at the same time, have revealed they have are missing first choice fly-half AJ McGinty for nine months after he was injured in their first victory over Leicester. McGinty underwent an operation on his Achilles tendon on the same day that his half-back partner Harry Randall needed surgery on his thigh muscle. Randall will be back in the coming months, while the comeback for wing Gabriel Itoye, who similarly damaged his hamstring versus the Tigers and requires an operation, has yet to be determined.

The Blue, Black and White, for their part, have kept Max Ojomoh at number ten for their home game versus the Sharks on the weekend's opener. The Sharks, who also made a victorious beginning to the campaign in the first round, have made several necessary alterations to their first team, with two new faces taking over from the sidelined Jacques Vermeulen and Rekeiti Ma’asi White correspondingly.