YORK, England — The US beat Samoa 60-0 on Saturday to maintain their Girls’s World Cup quarterfinal hopes alive.
The Eagles secured the bonus level they required inside half-hour in York, placing the strain on Australia who face England later within the afternoon.
Ought to the Wallaroos fail to get a bonus level — successful or dropping — of their very own, it would come all the way down to factors differential. The outcome means Australia must lose by 75 or extra and never earn a four-try bonus level for the U.S. to undergo.
Understanding the stakes, the U.S. started working early.
Famous person Ilona Maher gained a turnover in the course of the pitch to set the wheels in movement earlier than Freda Tafuna opened the scoring.
The second got here off a effectively labored lineout transfer, the ball coming all the way down to veteran prop Hope Rogers who pierced a spot within the set piece to attain in her fourth World Cup.
Samoa confirmed resilience and the eagerness they’ve change into well-known for all through the event and made their opposition work for his or her third strive, which got here once more by means of Rogers who went over from shut vary.
The fourth and essential strive got here after a beautiful break from Keia Mae Sagapolu. The U.S. proved too slick and scrum-half Cassidy Bargell scored underneath the posts.
With the bonus level within the bag, it grew to become a case of notching up an enormous rating, with a 135-point swing wanted to overhaul Australia within the occasion it comes all the way down to factors differential.
It appeared as if a weight was lifted off their shoulders and the Eagles opened up.
Winger Erica Coulibaly scored her facet’s fifth first-half strive after discovering house on the left.
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The factors stored flowing after the break. Erica Jarrell-Searcy went over shortly after the restart earlier than Tafuna — who has proved to be a try-scoring machine this event — scored her second of the match.
One other interval of Samoan resistance adopted but it surely was damaged by Tafuna who secured a memorable hat trick.
The U.S. could remorse an absence of factors from the boot, with simply 5 conversions off the again of ten tries.
Tafuna, although, did greater than her fair proportion, including a fourth strive simply after the hour mark.
Scrum-half Olivia Ortiz got here off the bench to attain her facet’s tenth of the afternoon and take them to 60 factors and nonetheless with a slim hope of reaching the quarterfinals.
