Hey everyone! Welcome back to the blog where we dive into the latest sports action. Today, we are taking a look at a fantastic bounce-back performance from the rugby pitch that proves why champions are so tough to beat.
If you have been following the WXV Global Series, you probably know that the world champions have seen a few records shake up recently. But when it came to keeping a massive 35-year winning streak alive, the Red Roses were not about to let history slip through their fingers. Going up against the USA, England reminded everyone why they are a force to be reckoned with. The last time the Eagles managed to pull off a victory against the Red Roses was way back in the 1991 Rugby World Cup. Since that historical matchup, England had stacked up 22 consecutive wins against them, and they were fully prepared to make it 23.
Coming into this game, the USA was actually riding a pretty great wave. They had five consecutive wins under their belt, including solid victories against Wales and Ireland. Their star player, number eight Freda Tafuna, had been turning heads across the tournament as one of the standout athletes on any team. Even though the hosts had plenty of heart, featuring strong efforts from players like Alev Kelter and Hope Rogers, they ultimately ran out of firepower to stop the English juggernaut.
The story of the match really boils down to two main things: a phenomenal individual performance and a dominant second-half showing by the forward pack. Enter Claudia Moloney-MacDonald. The wing had actually been left out of the matchday 23 squad during their previous outing against Canada, but she answered her head coach, John Mitchell, in the absolute best way possible. She sprinted in for a staggering four tries! Alongside her stellar plays, players like Maud Muir delivered incredible breaks and heavy hits that gave the visiting squad the extra edge they desperately needed.
Still, it was far from a flawless game for England. As we saw in their recent matches against Canada where wasted chances contributed to two defeats, the Red Roses struggled with an error-prone attack during the first half on Friday. They put together some brilliant sequences—especially Moloney-MacDonald’s opening try—but they left points on the table due to frustrating knock-ons and rogue passes.
Aside from the on-field action, there was also a noticeable vibe in the stands. The game took place in a 25,000-capacity stadium in New Jersey, but sections of the venue looked pretty empty. While an official attendance figure wasn’t announced, a 5.00 pm local kick-off time didn’t do the crowd numbers any favors. A matchup featuring teams of this caliber definitely deserved a much louder and larger audience.
When these two nations last met during the opener of the Rugby World Cup, England kicked things off early on the scoreboard, cruising to a 69-7 win. Friday’s game followed a similar script. It took less than five minutes for Moloney-MacDonald to acrobatically score her first, quickly followed by her second. The USA’s Hope Rogers, who holds the cap record for her country, answered back with a try of her own. That score brought her astonishingly close—just four points away—to claiming the all-American women’s all-time points record. That moment shifted the momentum briefly toward the hosts, but England struck back before the break through captain Meg Jones, who has maintained a starting spot in every game of 2026 for her country.
At halftime, England held a slim 17-7 lead. That advantage quickly ballooned when Moloney-MacDonald sealed her third and fourth tries of the day. The USA desperately needed a spark to keep the game from slipping away entirely, and Alev Kelter provided just that with a massive hit on Jones. While that energized the home side, England kept rolling. Mia Venner punched in another try for the visitors. The Gloucester-Hartpury wing has been a massive revelation during her two starts in this away leg of the WXV, and her current form is definitely going to give coach John Mitchell some tough selection choices ahead of 2027.
This defeat will certainly sting for the USA. Not only did late contributions from replacement hooker Bryony Field, Maddie Feaunati, and Sadia Kabeya turn a competitive match into a convincing blowout, but co-captain Georgie Perris-Redding also had to hobble off the field with an injury.
With this fixture marking the final match of the calendar year for both teams, the USA will have to wait patiently for their chance at redemption during the 2027 Pacific Four tournament. Meanwhile, England heads into the offseason with a brand-new unbeaten streak safely tucked under their belt, ready to defend it when the Women’s Six Nations kick off in April.
My Take on the Red Roses’ Latest Victory
Looking at how this match unfolded, according to the facts presented, I think it is pretty easy to get swept up in the narrative of a dominant bounce-back win. However, reading between the lines, I believe we need to exercise a healthy dose of skepticism before crowning the Red Roses as completely invincible again. Yes, a four-try performance from Claudia Moloney-MacDonald is undeniably brilliant, and extending a 35-year streak is a massive historical achievement. But let’s look at the context: the text itself points out that England’s first-half attack was plagued by errors, knock-ons, and rogue passes.
In my view, while the scoreline suggests a total blowout, the underlying execution issues are the exact same kinds of mistakes that cost them against Canada recently. The report notes that the gap between the top tier and the rest of the field outside the top three still exists, which arguably made it easier for England to recover from their messy first-half plays against the USA than it would have been against tougher opposition. So, while the result is great for their confidence, I see this less as a complete return to flawless perfection and more as a talented team getting the job done despite ongoing attacking inconsistencies that still need fixing before the Six Nations roll around.
That is just my two cents on how to interpret this weekend’s rugby action! What do you all think? Let me know your thoughts, and I will catch you in the next post.
source: theguardian.com (www.theguardian.com)
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