Ben Earl revealed the agony of rewatching recent Calcutta Cup failures has left England gunning for redemption as he admitted Scotland’s last visit to Twickenham caused him to question his suitability for international rugby.
“We’ve watched the last two games we’ve played (against Scotland); that’s almost unidentifiable in terms of what we’ve been as a team when we’ve been at our best over the last couple of years since Steve’s come in.
Having initially been jettisoned by Borthwick, Earl returned from a period of soul searching to become a key cog in the England side which finished third at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France and then remain a regular.
“Obviously the first 48 hours (after a win) are really good but the main thing is even last week’s training and today’s training are edgy as in people are pushing,” said the 26-year-old.
Part of England’s preparation to end Scottish domination stretching back to 2021 has involved analysing painful footage of their two defeats in the fixture during the reign of head coach Steve Borthwick.
