"Chessum battles toughest foe Skelton with Lions bracing for fierce challenge"

The away team’s changing rooms at the Melbourne Cricket Ground are larger than usual. Roomy enough to fit the extensive touring group of British & Irish Lions players, staff, and coaches—now nearly 100 in total—but lacking any sense of closeness. When the players step onto the field, surrounded by a sea of nearly 90,000 spectators in the towering stands, they will feel even more dwarfed.

The playing surface is so vast that Australian rules footballers here can run up to 17 kilometers in a single match. During rugby games, the athletes are so distant from the crowd they might as well be in another neighborhood. People often say there’s nowhere to hide in elite sports, and outside of a boxing ring, few venues exemplify that better.

Now imagine the pressure on a player about to make his first Lions Test start. Facing an opposing side driven by sheer determination, and going head-to-head with a towering opponent like Will Skelton, whose tackles feel like a runaway tram. For Ollie Chessum, stepping into this role, the match is colossal in every way.

When the 24-year-old forward states he’s “properly looking forward to it,” his unshakable confidence is commendable. If the Wallabies see him as a weak link in the absence of Joe McCarthy, they’re missing something important. Some players falter under pressure, but Chessum thrives on it.

His journey here has demanded relentless effort and resilience. At Carre’s Grammar School in Sleaford, they struggled to field a full rugby team. At 18, Leicester told him he wasn’t good enough, so he joined Nottingham in the Championship. Even after clawing his way back to a professional deal with Leicester, he faced a series of untimely injuries that would have derailed many.

Perhaps enduring those struggles is why he’s now an established England international and a Lions Test player. Leicester’s former coach, Michael Cheika, often praised Chessum’s relentless spirit—a trait that has now earned Andy Farrell’s trust at a crucial point in the series.

The Wallabies will face a fired-up opponent who understands their desperation. As Chessum notes: “They’re going to use every emotional edge they can. They’re down 1-0, playing at home, with the series on the line. They’ll throw everything at us.”

Yet what Cheika drilled into him most was the strength of shared belief. Even now, Chessum sometimes feels moments of doubt—*“That impostor feeling creeps in. You wonder, ‘How did I end up here?’”*—but his refusal to concede ground remains absolute.