Ben Earl criticizes 'brutal' Nations Championship schedule, calls for format change
England rugby player Ben Earl has called for changes to the Nations Championship format after the team endured 25,000 miles of travel across three weekends.
England number eight Ben Earl has urged organizers to reconsider the Nations Championship format, describing the travel demands of the inaugural tournament's summer leg as "brutal." The team played three Tests on three different continents on consecutive weekends, covering approximately 25,000 miles.
Saturday's victory over Argentina keeps Steve Borthwick's side in contention for the final, scheduled for 29 November at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium. However, the grueling schedule, which included four long-haul and four short-haul flights in four weeks, has led to sleep deprivation and reduced training for players.
"It's been brutal, there's no two ways about it," Earl said. "We've been speaking about it – why would we not all be playing in one country? So you just don't travel, you go to one nation and have that festival feel."
Earl acknowledged that he is not responsible for making such decisions but emphasized the difficulty, especially at the end of a long season for most players. "It's been back and forth, coming back to England, seeing your families and then going away again," he added.
He described the situation as "a bit weird" but suggested it may be something teams have to get used to, as "it's just the beginning." The competition resumes later this year for the autumn leg, with England next facing Australia on 8 November.
