The USA scored a blowout 60-0 win over Samoa in their final pool match at the World Cup on Saturday, but in the end it wasn’t quite enough to win a place in the Quarter Finals. Australia will instead move on with a superior points differential after holding England to a 40-point victory. It’s the end of the road for the Eagles, who will finish outside the top 8 teams for the first time in the flagship tournament.
Outstanding flanker Freda Tafuna led the way with four tries, her first coming six minutes on a breakaway from 40 meters out. Hope Rogers would score the next two, the first on a set move at a lineout that saw the prop barging through the middle and over the line. The second was from in close, but not until 14 minutes later – one of three long stretches where the Eagles failed to put points on the board.
With five minutes of the second Rogers try there were two more tries scored. Cass Bargell slipped through on the edge of a ruck to dive in under the posts, and then an overlap found Erica Coulibaly in space on the left sideline. No more points would come in the 10 minutes before halftime, however, with a grounding from a driving maul denied for obstruction.
The 27 points in the first half clearly wasn’t enough, but the second half started in ideal fashion as Erica Jarrell-Searcy burst through the line at pace and broke a second tackle to score just seconds after the restart. Tafuna grabbed her double set up by an offload from Ilona Maher, and then got the hat trick reaching out from the base of a ruck.
There would be little cheering for the next 15 minutes, as unforced errors and a yellow card to Kristin Bitter for a deliberate knock-on slowed advances. By the time Tafuna was driven over for her fourth try the clock was well and truly against the USA. One final score from replacement scrumhalf Olivia Ortiz brought up 60 and with it muted celebrations knowing that the knockouts were out of reach.
USA 60
Tries (10) – F. Tafuna 4 (6′, 44′, 51′, 66′), H. Rogers 2 (10′, 24′), C. Bargell (27′), E. Coulibaly (29′), E. Jarrell-Searcy (41′), O. Ortiz (77′)
Cons (5) – M. Hawkins 0/3, G. Cantorna 5/7 (28′, 42′, 52′, 67′, 78′)
YC (1) – K. Bitter (60′)
SAMOA 0
USA
1 Hope Rogers (17 Maya Learned 61′), 2 Kathryn Treder (16 Paige Stathopoulos 54′), 3 Keia Mae Sagapolu (18 Alivia Leatherman 61′), 4 Hallie Taufo’ou (19 Tahlia Brody 67′), 5 Erica Jarrell-Searcy, 6 Freda Tafuna, 7 Kate Zackary (capt.), 8 Rachel Johnson 20 Georgie Perris-Redding (20 Georgie Perris-Redding 54′), 9 Cassidy Bargell (21 Olivia Ortiz 61′), 10 McKenzie Hawkins (22 Kristin Bitter 48′), 11 Erica Coulibaly, 12 Gabby Cantorna, 13 Ilona Maher, 14 Emily Henrich (23 Alev Kelter 48′), 15 Sariah Ibarra
SAMOA
1 Denise Aiolupotea (17 Ana Mamea HT), 2 Avau Filimaua (16 Faith Nonutunu HT), 3 Tori Iosefo (18 Glory Aiono HT), 4 Ana-Lise Sio (19 JayJay Taylor HT), 5 Demielle Onesemo-Tuilaepa, 6 Utumalama Atonio (20 Nina Foaese 48′), 7 Sui Pauaraisa (capt.), 8 Jaanna Fanene-Lolo (21 Sinead Ryder 36′-HT, 48′), 9 Ana Afuie (22 Fa’alua Tugaga 61′), 10 Karla Wright-Akeli, 11 Drenna Falaniko, 12 Harmony Vatau, 13 Keilamarita Pouri-Lane, 14 Lutia Col Aumua (23 Fa’asua Makisi 52′), 15 Taytana Pati Ah-Cheung
Date: Saturday, September 6
Venue: York Community Stadium, Huntington
Kickoff: 13:30 local
Weather: cloudy, 68°F (20°C), wind S 12-18mph (19-29km/h)
Referee: Natarsha Ganley (New Zealand)
Assistants: Holly Wood (England) & Amber Stamp-Dunstan (Wales)
TMO: Ian Tempest (England)
