Ben Earl urges rethink of Nations Championship travel demands

Ben Earl wants the Nations Championship format reviewed after England’s summer leg involved three Tests on three continents in successive weekends. The England number 8 said the travel burden had been extremely demanding at the end of a long season.

According to the source report, England covered about 25,000 miles and took four long-haul and four short-haul flights across a four-week period. That schedule was linked to reduced sleep and less time on the training field, raising player-welfare questions around the new competition.

England remain in contention for the final after beating Argentina, with the deciding match scheduled for 29 November at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium. Steve Borthwick’s side are next due to return in the autumn leg against Australia on 8 November.

Earl suggested that staging matches in one host country could reduce travel and give the event more of a tournament atmosphere. The wider question for organisers is whether the competition can balance commercial reach, global fixtures and player recovery.