Impressive England march on

England 37 USA 10

Englands final pool match saw them take on a spirited USA side who were a threat to the home team all game, despite going behind early in the match.

A USA clearance kick found winger Charlotte Barras in the first few minutes and her pass to full back Danielle Waterman saw her slice through the US with ease before touching down giving the crowd something to cheer about very early on.

Katy McLean added a penalty minutes after to stretch the lead and it looked as if the home team would dominate the match - but the US who still technically had a chance of a semi-final if they could secure a big win, came right back into it.

The Americans enjoyed a period of confident play when both wings demonstrated that, given the ball and a little bit of space, they could be dangerous. Following a number of attacks on the try line and a quickly taken free kick, this period of possession resulted in a try in the corner from Nathalie Marchino - the first score England had conceded so far in this World Cup.

McLean then pulled off some great kicks from hand and a fine kick to the corner put England in to the USA 22 giving them a great attacking platform. The second try shortly followed also from a McLean kick; this time a grubber through, which Kat Merchant showed great pace to touch down.

With the USA down to 14, after Marchino was sin binned, England scored again through a brilliantly jinking Waterman. Just reward, as she had been relentless in her quest for work in the opening half. McLeans conversion saw England go in 20-5 up at half-time.

England came out lively, but as with the first half many of their attacks were halted by poor passing or dropped balls. Eventually the pressure bore fruit with Emily Scarratt, choosing route one through the defence rather than risking the pass, touched down for the bonus point score.

Phaidra Knight then became the second USA player to see the yellow card however, despite this set back the Eagles continued to attack with Vanesha McGee speeding down the right wing. Kim Magrini was the beneficiary of the move, touching down for the USAs second try.

A raft of changes from both sides followed, but the tempo of the match continued. Amber Penrith was next to score for England after a full speed attack that saw the ball spread wide right before being swung wide left for the try.

England ended on a high with a breathtaking try. McLean produced a highly lovely switch to Maggie Alphonsi at pace and the try under the posts and a successful conversion took the final score to 37-10.

This was a tough game for England with the USA playing with confidence and persistently posing a threat. Despite this, and the home sides many numerous unforced errors, England were never going to give up on the opportunity to secure the top seed semi final place. Job done

For full match details seeHERE