Earl slams 'brutal' Nations Championship schedule

Ben Earl has called for a rethink of the Nations Championship format following England’s "brutal" itinerary that featured three Tests in three continents on successive weekends.Steve Borthwick's team ended their 25,000-mile July tour with a victory over Argentina on Saturday and their two wins offer sight of a place in the inaugural competition's final at Allianz Stadium on November 29. But victory over the Pumas in Santiago del Estero was sealed despite sleep-deprived players being limited to a reduced training schedule in order to recover from the travel, while the time difference was also a hurdle to overcome. Image: England's Ellis Genge (centre) celebrates scoring a try against Argentina Late TMO drama as 13-man England hold on for victoryArgentina 24-31 England: How dramatic night unfoldedNot got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contractThe itinerary - the toughest faced by any nation this month - was especially challenging for England's British and Irish Lions stars such as Earl, Ellis Genge and Ollie Chessum who faced Australia last summer.Having taken four long haul and four short haul flights in just under four weeks, the amount of travel has been a point of discussion within the squad. Image: England's Immanuel Feyi-Waboso scored a stunning solo finish against Argentina Earl said: "It's been brutal, there's no two ways about it. "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?"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. Image: England's Tommy Freeman scores a try while being tackled by Argentina's Mateo Carreras "It's been back and forth, coming back to England, seeing your families and then going away again."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."England's Nations Championship resultsSouth Africa 45-21 England (Johannesburg)Fiji 8-73 England (Liverpool)Argentina 24-31 England (Santiago del Estero)