How England’s Ollie Chessum turned the lineout king: Steve Borthwick’s 12-second rule, ‘plus-one’ ploy and lifters’ trick – as insiders reveal how large lock is like an ‘further coach’ within the pack

In his pursuit of the perfect lineout, Steve Borthwick instructed his England analysts to conduct a study on the science of the set-piece.

Their extensive research was boiled down to a simple conclusion: if the ball is thrown back on to the pitch within 12 seconds of it going out then England have a 90 per cent chance of winning possession.

Tempo is key. Speed is king. Borthwick wants the ball thrown back into play before the opposition have time to react, settle and realise what’s going on.

It is one element of forward play where England are aiming to become the best-prepared team in Test rugby as they continue their quest to claim World Cup glory next year. They enjoyed a 95 per cent success rate at the lineout against Wales and on Saturday, they could capitalise against a Scottish team who retained a pitiful 64 per cent of their own throws against Italy.

And one man plays a key role. The 6ft 7in 25-year-old rampaging lock Ollie Chessum, who has become one of England’s most important lineout lieutenants. Against Wales, admittedly in the absence of another expert in Maro Itoje, he was the go-to guy for England’s first six lineout throws and for 12 out of 20 in total. 

According to Leicester coach Brett Deacon, who spent two years working under Borthwick at the Tigers, Chessum’s running game and mastery of the set-piece has elevated him to world-class status.

Against Wales, England lock Ollie Chessum was the go-to guy at the lineout

The 6ft 7in lock has become ‘world-class’ at the lineout, according to his former Leicester coach Brett Deacon

‘Since Ollie’s been Leicester captain this season, he’s had a new lease of life around his own expectations and how he leads by example,’ Deacon tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘He’s taken that to a stage where he’s the one setting the standards around effort and physicality. 

‘Team-mates follow him. Everyone saw his attacking play on Saturday. He’s covering every blade of grass against Wales and that’s inspiring for players around him. That’s what he’s been doing for Leicester all season.

‘He’s a shrewd operator with lineout tactics but that doesn’t just come to life on a Saturday afternoon at Twickenham. He will start looking at defences on the Sunday before, on his days off, during his spare time and create a strategy that he can buy into. 

‘He feeds that to his forward pack so they’re all in with him. He’s almost like a coach. He’s demanding, he sells the plan to the players. He does more than just call the lineout during the game, he embeds it into the group through the week. 

‘He will go around the changing room making sure everybody is clear on their role. He’s like an extra member of support staff.’

As a former lock himself, Borthwick has high standards for his forward pack. He is the most detailed set-piece coach in the world and constantly finds new ways of stressing his drills in training. Lineout lifters are under strict instructions to catch the jumper at the bottom of their quads to maximise their height in the air. Every inch counts in the land of the giants.

He has been known to overload the opposition lineout with up to 10 players in training drills to hand them a numerical advantage. Chessum and his fellow forwards are also put through drills which force them to react quickly to changing opposition pictures.

‘The lineout has changed a lot over the last 12 months,’ says Deacon. ‘There’s a lot of tactical change around manipulating the space. You see a lot of formation changes, particularly in France, where a lot of teams get their “plus one” to step into the lineout late and someone else steps out. 

Borthwick, a set-piece obsessive, gives instructions to Chessum (left), Alex Coles (centre) and Maro Itoje  

‘It changes the dynamics and creates space in an instant. It’s a trend that referees are allowing. Steve brought some of that across to Leicester and now a lot of teams are doing it.

‘Ollie is great at knowing how to defend that and also how to attack the space. Against Wales, the first three lineouts all went to Ollie. It was all speed, beating the defence into the air. You see him coming in, looking at the defence, looking at key options and he will have five or six options in one lineout. Then you add in his athleticism and his speed of movement.’

Coming through the ranks at Leicester, Chessum appreciates the importance of the maul as much as anyone. At more than two metres and almost 19st, his stature helps power England’s set-piece but he has also worked on the skill of finding weak spots to attack the opposition.

‘Maul-wise, you want to get a physical overload,’ says Deacon. ‘You want a dummy to pull the opposition pack into that zone, then maul behind or in front of them. That means you start your maul against just one or two defenders. By the time the other defenders have joined, you have already got such a physical overload that they can’t cope with the pace and power. 

‘Ollie’s always been very good at mauling. For a tall man, he can get into really low positions. He’s very powerful from the waist down. You see a lot of tall men steering the maul with their backs to the opposition. Ollie can be at the front of the maul like a tighthead prop. He can do it all.’

Deacon offers similar praise for his scrummaging. England adopt a dynamic and explosive approach to the scrum, with the locks setting up on one knee before they engage. The Springboks opt for a slower two-knee set up but Leicester and England now share a similar approach.

At 6ft 7in and almost 19st, Chessum’s stature helps power England’s set-piece but he has also worked on the skill of finding weak spots to attack the opposition

Chessum works on his lineout skills with England boss Borthwick 

‘The way Ollie scrums with England and Leicester is pretty much identical,’ says Deacon. ‘He prides himself on getting into the best position to push. His technique around his start point is great and he’s got the mindset to keep pushing as hard as he can. The set-piece and the maul is in Leicester’s DNA and it’s in England’s DNA. He works on it a lot. He knows it’s a platform to dominate the opposition.

‘Geoff Parling has come in (as Leicester head coach) and taken that on because he knows the foundations of the club. It’s a great tradition at Leicester and it’s a successful tradition. Players like Marcos Ayerza love to come back in and tell those stories and the players love to hear them. 

‘Ollie does a lot of contact conditioning at Leicester. (Replicating) an international game with around six contacts per minute, tackling, blasting at rucks, cleaning out, that horrible stuff where you have to get off the floor and repeat that effort.’

Chessum will restore his lock partnership with Itoje at Murrayfield. With that armoury and power and Borthwick’s borderline unhealthy obsession with the lineout and how to master the art, England should hit the heights, skittle the Scots and keep the Grand Slam train on track.