England ran out to a 28-point lead and held on for a fairly comfortable 47-26 win over the USA in the final pool round of the Women's Rugby World Cup on Thursday in Dublin.

England is full of experienced players who have been there before, and those players shined early. Center Emily Scarratt made up for an early penalty miss with a try, which she also converted. That try came off open play, with Scarratt chasing down a kick to get the five points, but after that it was about the USA committing penalties and England putting on the pressure. A penalty try and two tries that were mauled over made it 28-0 after 27 minutes.



The USA's Kate Zackary had just stepped back onto the pitch (subbed off because front-rower Kathryn Augustine had received a yellow card and the Eagles needed a hooker) when she went over for the Eagles' first try. But England replied with a nifty run through the middle by flyhalf Katy McLean to bring their lead to 33-7 at the break.

Two tries in nine minutes put England up 47-7 with 30 minutes to go, but after that, the USA got some go-forward with England having emptied its bench. The Eagles' Cheta Emba continued her strong World Cup with a try. Naya Tapper cut through and around. And, crucially, Kristen Thomas got the ball with some space and beat several England players to earn the USA a bonus point for scoring four tries.  

[tweet url="https://twitter.com/WorldRugby/status/898209390016307201" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"] 
What that bonus point means is that the Eagles have a shot at the semifinals. Canada lost to New Zealand 48-5, leaving the Maple Leafs at 2-1 in Pool A with nine points in the standings. The USA has 11 out of Pool B. 

So it all comes down to France's game against Ireland in Pool C. Because of that fourth try for the USA, Ireland now cannot advance without beating France. France, however, can make the semis with a loss but needs a bonus point (four tries or close loss) to overtake the USA. A tie between France and Ireland would put the USA through.



This would be a pretty remarkable achievement for the Eagles, as they did not look strong going into the tournament. However, four tries in every game has helped the USA win the tiebreakers. For Canada, the inability to get bonus points killed the team's chances to advance.

England 47

Tries: Scarratt, Penalty try, Packer 2, Mclean, Wilson Hardy, Cokayne 
Convs: Scarratt 4, Penalty try

USA 26 

Tries: Zackary, Emba, Tapper, Thomas  
Convs: Kelter 3.