Red Roses put defeats behind them by crushing USA to extend 35-year streak

USA 12-55 England

Claudia Moloney-MacDonald scores four tries

England have witnessed numerous records fall in this WXV Global Series, but the world champions were determined not to let a 35-year unbeaten run against the USA come to an end. The Eagles’ last victory over the Red Roses occurred during the 1991 Rugby World Cup, and since then, England have triumphed in all 22 encounters between the sides. The Red Roses returned to winning form; although their recent defeats to Canada showed that top teams have closed the gap on the world No. 1 side, Friday’s match against the USA demonstrated that beyond the top three, there remains a significant disparity.

The USA entered the contest in strong form, having secured five consecutive wins, including victories over Wales and Ireland, and their No. 8 Freda Tafuna emerged as one of the standout performers across all teams in the WXV. However, England managed to neutralize that threat, and despite solid efforts from Alev Kelter and Hope Rogers, the hosts lacked sufficient attacking power.