Ben Earl, the England number 8, has voiced strong concerns regarding the demanding format of the Nations Championship, describing the current schedule as "brutal."

In the inaugural summer leg, England faced an exhausting itinerary that saw them play three Tests across three different continents in consecutive weekends, resulting in an astonishing 25,000 miles of travel. Despite securing a victory over Argentina on Saturday, which keeps them in the running for a spot in the final on 29 November at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium, the toll of the travel has been evident.

Earl highlighted several key issues:

• Four long haul and four short haul flights in just four weeks
• Players experiencing sleep loss and a disrupted training schedule

He stated, "It's been brutal, there's no two ways about it," expressing the need for a more sensible format. Earl suggested that holding all matches in one country would alleviate the travel burden, creating a more festival-like atmosphere for the players and fans.

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 the challenges of returning home to see family before embarking on another trip, noting the strangeness of the situation. He added, "It's just something we're going to have to get used to because I think it's just the beginning."

The competition is set to continue later this year, with England scheduled to face Australia on 8 November.