England have called for the Nations Championship format to be overhauled after Ben Earl branded the team's gruelling 25,000-mile journey across three continents 'brutal' and questioned why the tournament is not staged in a single host nation.
England's gruelling travel schedule
Steve Borthwick's side finished their July campaign by beating Argentina in Santiago del Estero on Saturday to keep alive hopes of reaching the inaugural Nations Championship final at Allianz Stadium on November 29. But the victory came after what players regarded as the toughest travel schedule they have faced, with long-haul flights, changing time zones and reduced training taking their toll.
England travelled around 25,000 miles in less than four weeks, taking four long-haul and four short-haul flights during a demanding schedule that included Test matches on three continents against South Africa, Fiji and the Pumas - the same opponents Wales faced. The itinerary was particularly taxing for British and Irish Lions players such as Earl, Ellis Genge and Ollie Chessum, who had already spent part of the summer in Australia.
Ben Earl calls for change
Earl said the amount of travelling had become a major talking point within the squad and believes the Nations Championship would work better if all matches were played in one host nation. "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."
"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. 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."
Rugby World Champions Cup plans shelved
City AM report that plans for a Rugby World Champions Cup are expected to be mothballed due to financial restrictions. In 2025, the EPCR announced an inaugural Rugby Club World Cup was set to be launched in 2028, involving domestic teams across the globe - something similar to the FIFA Club World Cup.
"The Rugby World Club Cup is something we’ve spoken about at EPCR for the last two or three years – we’ve been trying to work our way through this project to see if we can deliver it," EPCR chairman Dominic McKay said at the time. "And over the last few days we’ve had great meetings with our Board, great meetings with our General Assembly, who represent the three leagues and stakeholders from seven unions, and everyone is unanimous about wanting to deliver a World Club Cup – through EPCR."
Reports are now emerging that a board meeting of EPCR chiefs will convene this week to vote to postpone the plans to beyond 2030 — and potentially altogether. Reasons for the mothballing have been cited as costings and the already congested rugby calendar. The competition would have seen 16 teams compete every four years to be crowned world champions.
Nasova deal ripped up
Joji Nasova will no longer be signing for Premiership club Newcastle Red Bulls after the club agreed to release him from his contract for personal reasons. The Fijian international had penned terms to join the club ahead of the upcoming 2026/27 campaign. That will now not happen, with Nasova to remain with his current club Fijian Drua.
In a press release, Newcastle said: “The club has worked constructively with the player, Fijian Drua and the Fiji Rugby Players' Association to reach a resolution that recognises Joji’s personal circumstances, while also respecting the importance of contractual stability within the RFU and World Rugby frameworks.” Neil McIlroy, Newcastle’s general manager of Rugby, added: “While we were very much looking forward to welcoming Joji to Newcastle Red Bulls, we fully understand and respect the unique personal circumstances that have led to this decision. Contractual certainty is vital for clubs, players and the wider game. But at the same time rugby is built on people, families and communities, and we believe our responsibility as an employer extends beyond the field. We wish Joji, his family and the Fijian Drua every success for the future.” The 25-year-old won a sevens silver medal at the Paris Olympics with his country.
Smith: We must banish discipline woes
Fin Smith admits England must urgently stamp out their discipline problems if they are to fulfil their aspiration of becoming a major force on the world stage. Steve Borthwick’s team lifted their total of yellow cards for 2026 to 15 in eight Tests after being shown four more in Saturday’s chaotic 31-24 victory over Argentina in Santiago del Estero. They also lost the penalty count 15-6 and conceded a penalty try yet, despite the second-half meltdown that twice left them playing with 13 men, they had the resolve to deliver a triumphant climax to their July tour.
Head coach Borthwick responded to questioning of England’s difficulties keeping players on the pitch by hitting back at the “negativity committee”, but Smith concedes it is a failing that must be addressed. “It’s still the whole discipline thing, I’m not quite sure how we get to the bottom of that,” the Northampton fly-half said. “It’s frustrating because we’re a very good team when we have 15 men on the pitch, but for the last five or six games I’ve played for England I reckon I’ve spent at least 25-30 per cent of the game without that. That’s always challenging because then you’re just trying to defend your own try line pretty much and we’re not allowing ourselves to show the best of us.”
“It’s probably a 50-50 balance between people just not doing stupid things and also when you’re under pressure you give away penalties and they stack up into cards. A lot of the yellows we got against Argentina were compounded by penalties in our own 22, so we should probably be getting out of there a bit better, defending our try-line and not letting opposition in. But then there’s also a little bit of personal responsibility to not keep doing stuff that gets you pinned.”
England end the first phase of the Nations Championship with two wins from three Tests and could yet reach the competition’s showpiece on November 29. The team’s win rate since Borthwick took charge in time for the 2023 Six Nations now stands at 58 per cent but Smith insists they should be aiming to win every single game. “Expectation comes with being an England rugby player,” he said. “The RFU is a massive organisation and Twickenham is full every week. We’ve got great support and people just want to see us win, which is fair because there’s no reason we shouldn’t be a powerhouse in international rugby and there’s no reason we shouldn’t be winning every week. There are obviously things that might need certain bits of context here and there when we’re under a bit of pressure, but on the whole when we pull that white shirt on we all know that the expectations from the country and ourselves is to go and win.”
