Nations Championship 2026: Ben Earl hits out at ‘brutal’ schedule in inaugural series - ‘A bit weird’
Published 21/07/2026 at 10:19 GMT+1
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Ben Earl has made his feelings clear about England’s recent playing schedule in the inaugural Nations Championship, after matches in South Africa, England and Argentina took place over just two weeks.
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The Nations Championship pits the Northern Hemisphere sides against the Southern, with three matches coming in the summer international window and a further three in the autumn.
The results then decide who is playing in the final at Allianz Stadium in November.
Traditionally, England would have toured one country in the summer, and played three tests against that one nation.
Instead, they took four long-haul and four short-haul flights across a very short period of time, playing first at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, then Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool, and finally at Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades in Argentina. Time difference and jet lag were a factor.
”It’s been brutal, there’s no two ways about it,” Earl said, as reported by the BBC.
”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.
”You come to Australia, South Africa, wherever, and there’s so much rugby going on. How cool would that be?”
England remain in the reckoning for a final spot this autumn, having won two of their three matches, beating Fiji comfortably 73-8 and Argentina in a more bad-tempered affair.
They lost their opening match to current world champions South Africa 45-21.
”I’m not paid to make those decisions, but it has been tough. It’s been tough coming at the end of what’s been quite a long season anyway for most of us,” Earl added.
”It’s been back and forth, coming back to England, seeing your families and then going away again.
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”It has seemed a bit weird, but it’s just something we’re going to have to get used to because I think it’s just the beginning.”
By contrast, France played in New Zealand, Australia and Japan in their three matches. Ireland had the same schedule in a different order, as did Italy.
Wales and Scotland had a similar schedule to England, but were able to play their match against Fiji on home soil either at the beginning or end of the period, rather than in the middle.
As well as the travel schedule, England’s summer internationals will be remembered for their ill-discipline against Argentina, a match they won 31-24 after their hosts had a late try chalked off.
Former England scrum half Danny Care said afterwards that England ”have got to sort out” their discipline, especially if they want to challenge for the title.
The Nations Championship is biennial, to make room on the calendar for the World Cup and the British & Irish Lions tours.
England will face Australia, Japan and New Zealand at home in November, with the finals played on the weekend of November 27-29.
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