YORK, England – Despite a resounding 60-0 victory over Samoa on Saturday, the United States women’s rugby team was eliminated from the World Cup.
The Eagles secured the necessary bonus point in the first 30 minutes of the match played in York, which put pressure on Australia before their match against England later in the day.
Although the Wallaroos suffered a 47-7 defeat to the hosts, the United States needed them to lose by 75 points or more to have any chance of advancing. Ultimately, it was Australia who secured their place in the quarter-finals.
The American team started strong on Saturday.
Ilona Maher, a standout player, sparked a recovery in the midfield, which fueled the attack. Freda Tafuna was in charge of opening the scoring.The second try came after a well-worked play in the lineout. The ball reached Hope Rogers, a veteran prop, who found space to score in her fourth World Cup.
Samoa demonstrated its well-known resilience and passion, forcing its rival to strive for the third try, which was also scored by Rogers from close range.
The fourth and crucial try came after an excellent play by Keia Mae Sagapolu. The United States demonstrated its superiority and scrum-half Cassidy Bargell scored under the posts.
With the bonus point secured, the goal was to accumulate a large number of points, as a difference of 135 points was needed to surpass Australia in case of a tie in the point difference.
The Eagles broke free and winger Erica Coulibaly scored her team’s fifth try of the first half, finding space on the left.
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The points kept flowing after the break. Erica Jarrell-Searcy scored shortly after the restart, followed by Tafuna, who proved to be a try-scoring machine in this tournament, achieving her second try of the match.
After another period of resistance from Samoa, Tafuna completed a memorable hat trick.
The United States could regret the lack of points from the foot, with only five conversions from ten tries.
Tafuna, however, fulfilled its part, adding a fourth try shortly after the game clock.
Scrum-half Olivia Ortiz, who came off the bench, scored her team’s tenth try, bringing the score to 60 points.
