I think that's the key point. The very best really influence the whole team performance.
Earl was individually outstanding but his efforts didn't noticeably lift the team in the first 2.75 matches. Maybe the individual performance of the tournament v Ire but that pen v Fra was costly.
From an English POV Martin had a truncated tournament but the team simply seems to have a different aura with him in it.
In fairness to me I was probably shouting a bit more about Earl earlier than some. I thought he was harshly treated earlier in his career (don't forget he's only been a regular for a few months) but equally reading some of the coverage now you'd think he was a Usain Bolt / Zinzan Brooke hybrid. He's been excellent but he'll now be a marked man. Let's see how he goes over the next year.