England beat USA in women's rugby but fail to hit top gear

England's women's rugby union team, the Red Roses, beat the United States 55-12 in New Jersey in the final match of the WXV Global Series, an international women's rugby competition. It was England's last outing in the series after two defeats against Canada in the previous fortnight, so the win did not fully remove doubts about their standing at the top of the women's game.

How the match unfolded

England began steadily, with wing Claudia Moloney-MacDonald scoring twice in the first 12 minutes, the second after a looping mis-pass from fly-half Holly Aitchison. The United States, who lost 7-69 in Sunderland at the start of England's Rugby World Cup campaign last year, stayed in the contest much longer this time. England led by 10 points at the break after captain Meg Jones scored, although the hosts had more territory, possession and metres gained in the first half.

Moloney-MacDonald's third and fourth tries soon after the restart put England 20 points clear. The United States, who arrived on a five-match winning run that included wins over Ireland and South Africa, kept fighting. Kate Zackary dived over with the final play to give them a second try. England's depth and endurance told, and they scored four tries in the final quarter.

What needs work

Head coach John Mitchell can take positives, including Aitchison's play-making and Maud Muir's all-action display. But his to-do list includes improving set-piece solidity and attacking fluency. England struggled at the line-out early on, could not fire their rolling maul, and were beaten for physicality at the gainline, usually a trademark of theirs. England must sort these issues before defending their Women's Six Nations title in April.

The match was played at the 25,000-capacity Sports Illustrated Stadium, where the attendance and pitch appeared patchy. The Women's Rugby World Cup is due to be held in the United States in 2033.