Chessum returns from foot injury to captain Leicester against Pau in Champions Cup opener

Ollie Chessum will captain Leicester Tigers in their Champions Cup opener against Pau on Sunday, head coach Geoff Parling confirmed, ending a lengthy absence caused by the foot injury the England loose forward sustained during last season’s play-off defeat to Northampton.

“Ches will be back for us,” Parling said. “You obviously want your best players playing, and it’s great to have him back in the squad — both from a playing point of view and a leadership point of view and what he does there.”

Parling was also quick to credit those who had filled the void during Chessum’s absence, singling out Finn Carnduff. “I’d point to someone like Finn Carnduff, who has done so many good things after a pretty wretched season last season,” he said, adding that other injury absences in the squad were not disrupting preparation.

Leicester face a stern test on their return to European competition. Pau, once considered relegation candidates, have lost just one of their first six Top 14 matches this season and sit second in the table, having firmly established themselves among France’s more dangerous clubs.

A key threat comes from fly-half Joe Simmonds, the second-highest points scorer in the Top 14 with 46 points from four appearances and a goal-kicking success rate of 95.5%. Parling knows Simmonds well from their time together at Exeter between 2015 and 2017. “He’s a good guy, a good kicker, a good game manager and just a genuine good player,” the Leicester head coach said.

Parling identified discipline as the critical factor in neutralising Simmonds’ influence. “When I speak about the French crowd, you bring them into the game if you are ill-disciplined. Discipline is just accuracy for me — being really, really accurate in what you do.”

Leicester’s Champions Cup campaign then pauses for more than two months before they host Clermont on 12 December. Rounds 3 and 4 follow on back-to-back weekends in January, with trips to Glasgow and a home fixture against Leinster. Parling admitted he would prefer a more condensed schedule. “I’d prefer two blocks of two — I’d prefer to have some consecutive rounds in there, just in terms of the feel of it really.”