Ben Earl has admitted that it is time for England to start delivering results after a frustrating 2024 that included just five wins.
Steve Borthwick’s side lost seven of their 12 games across the calendar year, with a series of close defeats in a five-match losing streak leaving them to rue their missed opportunities.
Included within that run were final-minute losses to New Zealand and Australia at Twickenham as George Ford’s missed drop goal and Maro Itoje’s spilled restart proved costly.
Earl, who started every game this year at number eight, is nonetheless encouraged by the progress England are making.
But the 26-year-old admits that positive performances only count for so much if wins do not follow.
“Now is the time to deliver results,” Earl said after the victory over Japan that ensured a winning finish to England’s autumn. “The performances have been good but now we are feeling the pain. Results matter.
“If we beat New Zealand and Australia, they are probably two of the great England performances. Instead, the powers that be spin it on its head in a different way. We’ve probably learned that in the harshest way possible in the last couple of weeks.
“I think we as a group have learnt that the moment that you think is regulation is of the most paramount importance. On another day, we might have made a scramble tackle, kicked a goal, caught a kick off. In terms of where we are as a group, we’ve probably learned three campaigns worth of lessons in four weeks. That can only be a good thing.”
England face a demanding start to next year’s Six Nations with a trip to face Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin followed by a visit of France to Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.
Earl and his colleagues now return to their clubs for the next couple of months before re-assembling towards the end of January for a pre-tournament training camp in Girona.
The Saracens back row says that the squad have been challenged to continue proving themselves in the Premiership and Champions Cup.
“I don’t think you ever park the mentality that you are an international rugby player,” Earl explained. “You are a player that has to hold himself to a standard higher than that of a standard club player.
“Whether that sounds punchy or not, that is what Steve requests and we request as a group. We want to ooze class. If someone came and had never seen a game of rugby before, you want to be the ones standing out. That’s the standard we have to set ourselves so that when we come into camp in January we are full for beans and full of form.
“The Six Nations is the hardest tournament in the world. There will be a few seeds planted over the next couple of weeks in terms of what we need to do and where we need to be. We know that we will be in great shape and have great confidence going into that game at the Aviva. We can’t wait.”
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