Moloney-MacDonald scores four tries as England beat USA 55-12

Claudia Moloney-MacDonald scored four tries as England beat the United States 55-12 in New Jersey, ending their WXV Global Series campaign with a victory after successive defeats by Canada. BBC Sport reported that the Red Roses scored nine tries, with a late burst extending the margin after the hosts had kept the first half competitive.

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Moloney-MacDonald supplied England's opening two tries inside 12 minutes, with Holly Aitchison's long pass creating the second. The early advantage did not translate into an uninterrupted spell of English control. The United States challenged at the set pieces and made ground through their physical carrying, preventing the visitors from immediately pulling away.

England missed opportunities to establish their rolling maul from attacking line-outs, while a potential American try for Kathryn Treder was disallowed for obstruction. Hope Rogers subsequently scored from close range. Meg Jones answered for England after a strong running line from Emma Sing, leaving the visitors 17-7 ahead at half-time despite the United States having more possession, territory and carrying metres.

The decisive separation came after the interval, when Moloney-MacDonald added her third and fourth tries to stretch England's lead to 20 points. England continued to find opportunities on the flanks, and their replacements contributed as the contest progressed. Hannah Botterman made an impact from the bench, while Ellie Kildunne brought another running threat from deep.

England scored four tries in the final quarter. Alongside Moloney-MacDonald and Jones, their other try-scorers were Venner, Field, Feaunati and Kabeya. Sing kicked two conversions and Harrison added three. The United States had replacement prop Mona Lisa Tupou sent to the sin bin for a scrum infringement, but still produced the game's final score when Kate Zackary crossed at close range.

The result ended a five-match winning sequence for the United States that had included victories over Ireland and South Africa. For England, it provided a winning conclusion after two losses to Canada over the preceding fortnight. Head coach John Mitchell's side will begin their Women's Six Nations title defence in April, with this performance offering both a nine-try return and evidence of pressure on their scrum and line-out.