Ben Earl Emphasizes England’s Need to Secure Close Victories

Ben Earl has been a starter in every England match throughout 2024. The Autumn Nations Series fixture between England and New Zealand is scheduled for Saturday, 2 November, with a 15:10 GMT kick-off at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. Coverage will be available on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds for listening, and live text commentary can be followed on the BBC Sport website and app. According to number eight Ben Earl, England has experienced “some heartache” and the moment has arrived to “get over the line” in closely contested Test matches against top international teams. Steve Borthwick’s squad will host New Zealand at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium this Saturday, following two narrow defeats to the All Blacks in summer Tests, where England held leads for significant portions of both encounters. Furthermore, England suffered a two-point loss to France in their concluding Six Nations fixture. Earl believes that Saturday’s inaugural match of their Autumn Nations Series presents an ideal opportunity to rectify these past results. “We are growing as a team and it was so close [in the summer against New Zealand],” Earl stated to BBC Sport. He continued, “But you don’t win tight Test matches by being close, so I think the lessons we have learned are valuable ones – how to finish games and keep your discipline in the last quarter, how you always need to be alive and concentrating against a team like the All Blacks.” Earl added, “It is something that doesn’t just happen, you have to go through some heartache to then win a couple. We feel we’ve done that now.” “We have looked at each other over the last couple of weeks and thought the time is now,” Earl remarked. He further explained, “We can’t say we are an inexperienced group now and have had continuity around selection for 18 months or so. “I think it is time now to get over the line in close games.” The 26-year-old has distinguished himself as one of England’s pivotal players since transitioning to number eight prior to the previous autumn’s World Cup, delivering several notable performances. Ardie Savea, New Zealand’s number eight and the world player of the year, has acknowledged Earl’s form, commenting that he was “on fire” following the elevation of his game over the past two years. The Saracens back rower further stated, “What struck me most after the games [in New Zealand] was how humble Ardie was.” He continued, “We talked about what we see in each others games and what we enjoyed.” Earl clarified, “It is not validation as I don’t think I am near a player of Ardie’s quality at the moment, but it is something I am striving towards.” Ardie Savea, who scored in New Zealand’s July victory over England in the first Test, participated in both of New Zealand’s summer Test wins. However, he anticipates Twickenham will present “a different beast” this Saturday. The All Blacks’ previous match at Twickenham concluded in a 25-25 draw two years prior, with their most recent triumph at the venue of English rugby occurring in 2018. “We know it is going to be different,” Savea commented. He added, “We expect physicality – their forward pack is very decent. We have got to front up physically.” Savea described, “Twickenham is one of the great stadiums. We’ve a few boys who haven’t played there or haven’t experienced the atmosphere. It is going to be special, but at the same time we have to be ready.” Savea concluded, “There will be times when England gets momentum but we will expect that and hopefully when it does come, we will breathe and nail our next big moment.” England’s most recent victory over New Zealand occurred in the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup, marking their first win against the three-time world champions since a triumph at Twickenham in 2012.