I have just heard the harrowing news that USA was beaten badly by England in the U20 Nations Cup Final…final score was 110 to 0. I am currently waiting on more details and will update soon…see below for the update on the game, the only team that has issued a release is England. UPDATE 7/21: USA Rugby has issued a press release, read it below.
Canada and Wales had a thrilling Consolation match with Canada overcoming Wales 12 to 10. Congratulations goes to England, you played a great tournament and congratulations to all the teams that participated!
BOULDER, Colo. – The USA Women’s Under-20 National Team fell hard to the England Under-20s on Saturday at Brunel University. The home side ran in 18 tries, while holding the Americans scoreless in the final match of the U-20 Nations Cup.
“One of the good things about this young U.S. Team is that we have started strong in all the games we’ve played recently. It’s hard to go in as the underdog and not play that way,” U.S. Under-20s Coach Bryn Chivers said. “But, after competing well the first five minutes on Saturday, the only way I can describe what happened was that we ran into the perfect storm. Even the England coaches couldn’t believe they had played so well. All 15 players on their side came together and played their best game to date. It was just one of those days and there wasn’t a whole lot the U.S. could do about it.”
Worcester’s Sam Bree set the tone of the game with England’s opening try after just four minutes. Bree showcased her speed and skill well throughout the whole tournament, but ran in an impressive six tries on Saturday, bringing her to a total of 11 tries throughout the tournament.
England took charge of the game quickly thereafter and led 43-0 at the break. The U.S. was unable to find a response to England’s dominance and the one way traffic continued after the restart with Nicola Hoole, Sarah McKenna and Rose Fong grabbing a brace of tries each against the Americans, while Leeds fly half Claire Garner also had a great afternoon with the boot stroking over ten conversions.
With four games in 10 days, injuries plagued the U.S., as well. The American side saw itself down three of its most experienced players as Katie Johnson, Candace Barley and Jozy Gessner were all sidelined, leaving the U.S. very thin by the final 20 minutes and finishing the game with a lock and scrumhalf in the back row and a hooker on the wing.
With just ten minutes remaining England’s pressure remained relentless and they were again rewarded for their efforts with Charlotte Wild, Bree (2), Fong and Garnet Mackinder all touching down, leaving England to celebrate their impressive 110-0 victory.
“It was a combination of things,” Chivers said. “England played exceptionally and we were hurt and spread thin. Throughout the tournament, England proved time and time again that they were leaps ahead of the other teams. No one could match them for pace or power.
“When you come off a loss like that, it’s tough to know where to go from there. But, we’ve got to have some perspective. The U.S. played a great tournament as a whole. We went in as an underdog, having not beaten Wales or Canada yet, but we really came into our own and played better than any of our previous squads.
“The final game can’t overshadow what happened on this tour,” Chivers added. “While England had clearly separated themselves, we climbed over Wales and Canada, which were two very big victories for us. While it was a hard loss in the end, it was an incredibly successful tour, overall.”
USA vs England Recap from England Women’s Rugby site:
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Canada won 12-10.
CANADA 12 WALES 10
Thanks for the score update! You two were quick!!
Recap on RFU website: http://www.rfu.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/RFUHome.Community_Detail/StoryID/23114
Where is the US press release? The U20s should be more professional than this. Win or lose you need a press release.
I have to say that I was a little worried about some of the early reports from the US camp – and in particular their diet.
How many of you in the US know what goes into a Full English Breakfast – the one that several blog entries mention? Two weeks of that and you start to slow down a bit.
(Typically a Full English would be something like:
Fried eggs
Baked beans
Sausages (English ones, not lean German ones!)
Fried mushrooms
Black pudding
Fried bread
Fried tomatoes
Not a breakfast of champions!)