Six Nations: Ben Earl says England ‘laid it bare’ ahead of Italy test
Ben Earl has revealed that England’s players held a frank meeting to "lay it bare" following consecutive Six Nations defeats by Scotland and Ireland.
Steve Borthwick’s side travel to Rome this weekend aiming to salvage their campaign after their title hopes were effectively ended by a 42-21 loss to Ireland at the Allianz Stadium.
The Saracens back-rower disclosed that the squad engaged in a candid review session last Wednesday to address individual underperformance.
"If we’re being honest, there’s been some challenge from within the playing group," said Earl.
"A few of us had a meeting last Wednesday and laid it bare."
Honest conversations
Earl admitted several players confessed they had not "pulled their weight" during the difficult start to the championship.
"There are people in the squad who don’t feel they’ve pulled their weight or performed well enough," he said.
"Once you get that out there, it’s about how you move forward. There’s no point sulking about it."
The 26-year-old insisted the nature of the conversation was constructive rather than a simple refocusing exercise.
"Some people have come forward and said they need to be a lot better at this or been a bit off on this," Earl added.
"We’ve stripped it bare. Again, hopefully it’s something we can look back on again when we play more big games over the next 18 months and we can say, ‘I won’t forget those conversations’."
Borthwick plots changes for Italy
Head coach Borthwick is expected to overhaul his backline for the trip to the Stadio Olimpico as England look to snap a two-match losing streak.
Northampton Saints fly-half Fin Smith is under consideration for a start despite missing training on Monday through illness.
Seb Atkinson is also understood to be set for a place in the starting midfield.
Despite the recent setbacks ending a 12-match winning run, Earl believes the squad is ready to deliver a reaction against the Azzurri.
"These are the weeks where boys have a little glint in their eye," explained Earl.
"They mean business. You look at some of the big guys in our squad and go, ‘something good is coming’. We are all hoping that is going to materialise on Saturday."
Earl highlighted a renewed focus on the "intangible stuff" often taken for granted when winning, admitting the team had been dealt "sucker punches" in recent weeks.
