England’s Red Roses returned to winning ways with a 55-12 victory over a spirited United States side in New Jersey, though the performance failed to completely dispel doubts over their position at the top of the women’s game. Claudia Moloney-MacDonald scored four tries as England exploited space out wide, closing out their WXV Global Series campaign following two losses to Canada over the previous fortnight.
Match Progression and Physical Battle
England started steadily as wing Claudia Moloney-MacDonald crossed twice in the first 12 minutes, with her second try coming via a looping mis-pass from fly-half Holly Aitchison. However, the sixth-ranked United States stuck in the contest far longer than they did in their 69-7 defeat in Sunderland last year. The hosts showed strong physicality, with one thunderous hit from Alev Kelter hoisting and dumping England captain Meg Jones to rally her team.
The United States made headway at the gainline and gained territory with brute physicality in the first half. They got their reward when Hope Rogers burrowed beneath Maddie Feaunati for a short-range score. Meg Jones went over after full-back Emma Sing hit a good line to restore a 10-point lead by the break, though statistics at halftime favoured the United States in territory, possession, and metres made.
Second Half and Areas of Concern
Moloney-MacDonald’s third and fourth scores soon after the restart put England 20 points clear and the outcome out of doubt. Further tries from Jones, Bo Westcombe-Evans (referenced as Venner in the stats), Natasha Hunt (referenced as Field), Maddie Feaunati, and Sadia Kabeya extended England’s lead, with conversions added by Emma Sing and Zoe Harrison. Despite the scoreline, head coach John Mitchell faces a to-do list including tuning up set-piece solidity and attacking fluency, after England struggled early on at the line-out and faced a closely contested scrum where Maud Muir was penalized against Hope Rogers.
The United States, entering the match on a five-match winning run including successes over Ireland and South Africa, hung tough despite replacement prop Mona Lisa Tupou being sent to the sin bin for a scrum infringement. Their resistance was rewarded with a final-play try from Kate Zackary, who dived over around the fringes at the end of a determined surge. The match took place at the 25,000-capacity Sports Illustrated Stadium ahead of the United States hosting the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2033.
