Faced with the task of having to win by a massive amount over Samoa and having to hope Australia lost by a massive amount to England, the USA didn't get enough of the massives to do the job.

The Eagle women beat Samoa 60-0 to put themselves in a barely adequate position to make the Women's Rugby World Cup quarterfinals, but needed the Wallaroos to lose by 75 to England. That was never going to happen, because if they were running away with it, England was going to rest players. In the end, England did win, but 47-7, and through points difference, Australia (1-1-1 +40) beat out USA (1-1-1 -2) for that final eight spot.

The USA played well against Samoa. At times they played superbly well. But at a crucial point in the match, when they needed their reserves to explode and run in tries, it didn't happen. It's difficult to criticize a team when they win 60-0. We will say that the shutout was a big deal and required some hugely important plays, including a try-saving tackle out of nowhere by, of course, Kate Zackary, and a huge interception from reserve hooker Paige Strathopoulos. What they also needed was ruthless efficiency and unselfish play at key moments.

The Eagles were under pressure from Samoa early and perhaps were saved from going down 7-0 early by a brilliant open-field tackle by Erica Coulibaly. The Americans ind of straightened up after that and an excellent jackle from Ilona Maher (who was a force defensively) saw the ball zipped quickly through the hands of Keia Mae Sagapolu, Kathryn Treder, and Zackary to get to Freda Tafuna. The flanker then just put her head down and raced 50 meters to score.

Samoa ran hard and were determined to get their first try of the tournament. They forced the Americans to defend for long periods which must have been frustrating for the USA.

Still, the Eagles were up to it. They got a penalty, Gabby Cantorna kicked to tough and from the lineout and maul got another penalty. In that next lineout Hallie Taufoou dropped the ball down to Hope Rogers and the superstar prop charged through for a try.

The Eagles were clearly looking to keep the ball alive and attack whenever possible. Once tactic they adopted was, unless there was free and clear space on the edge, they opted for switch moves with the wings. The first time they did this it didn't come off but it began to work nicely for them as the game went on.

Such a switch move allowed Emily Henrich to made inroads, and quick ball and good go-forward from Erica Jarrell-Searcy got them close. Rogers finished it off for a 15-0 lead.

The Eagles were back on the front foot after that, playing with urgency, and scrumhalf Cass Bargell sold a dummy and cut through the A channel to score under the posts. Cantorna took over the goalkicking from McKenzie Hawkins at this point and slotted a fairly straightforward kick to make it 22-0.

Soon it was 27-0 as No. 8 Rachel Johnson went on a massive run. The support was there, another switch with Henrich attracted attention, and the ball was spun wide to the left for Coulibaly to score in tight quarters. Now it was 27-0 after 30 minutes and perhaps an 80-point game seemed realistic.

But the pace fell off after that. Samoa kept the ball and worked the USA backward. They were fortunate to be allowed a few little things in the rucks that made it difficult for the USA to steal the ball back—sealing and in from the side and one example of picking the ball up in the middle of the ruck— but in the end the USA needed to be patient.

Finally the Eagles stole a lineout and sent it wide. Maher was on the charge but she had a 3-on-1 and opted to take it into contact. It was the safer option, perhaps, but the USA was not in safe territory here.

That attack stalled, but eventually off a penalty the Eagles mauled it over. Try? No. Upon further review it was called back for truck-and-trailer. It was a picky call that hurt ... plenty of mauls have been allowed to score in the same circumstances. As it was, no try, and halftime. Had they been at 32 or 34, the Eagles might have been in with a shot.

Work To Do in the Second Half

The Eagles began the second half in fine style and Samoa struggled to keep up. Another cutback move then set up Jarrell-Searcy for a hard charge through a tackle and over. Jarrell-Searcy, who was captain of Harvard a few years ago, appeared to struggle with the pace and physicality of the international game when she first was called up. But Head Coach Sione Fukofuka was patient with her, and this 2025 season has easily been her best.

Bigger, stronger, fitter, and more aggressive, she has become an international level lock, and her third try of the World Cup was very much deserved.

The Eagles added to that with an excellent team sequence from side to side that saw Maher control contact and provide a perfect offload to Treder, and she passed to Tafuna (this is a good rule of thumb ... if Freda Tafuna is near you, give her the ball), and the two-time Sorensen winner beast-moded her way to paydirt.

Now it was 41-0 at 44 minutes. The scoring pace was back.

However, Samoa came storming in and were very close to scoring. But the ball hit the deck and Alev Kelter, just on the field for a few seconds, snagged the ball with plenty of bravery to help the Eagles get out of trouble. The cutback worked again and the USA charged on. Penalty against Samoa and Zackary tapped quickly, ran 30 meters, and then the forwards were the to take it on. Finally, close to the line, Tafuna picked up and was over for her third and sixth in two games. Cantorna converted and it was 46-0.

The Dead Zone

Samoa did get back into the USA 22 and the ball hit the deck again. This time Kelter toed it ahead and looked like she might turn everything around. But the play was called back because reserve flyhalf Kristin Bitter had deliberately knocked the ball on. Penalty for Samoa and a yellow card for the USA.

Somehow, still, the Eagles got out of it as Georgie Perris-Redding ripped the ball free. Even so the USA team could not piece it together as seamlessly as they had earlier in the game. The reserves were making mistakes, and you started to see impatience creep into the play for everyone.

It was fully 15 minutes between tries here in the middle of the second half. That was a crucial 15 minutes. Finally a long throw in the lineout was taken by Kelter, she galloped on, the forwards followed, and eventually Tafuna thundered over for her fourth try.

But now it was too late. It was only 53-0 and Samoa, who had stated outright that they wanted to help their fellow Oceania team, Australia, make the quarterfinals, did well to run out some time.

In doing so, they almost scored, sending the ball wide with an overlap near the USA tryline only for Zackary to come swooping in with a tackle that was a microcosm of how she plays the game.

The Eagles weren't out of trouble, however, and needed a brave run from Kelter out of their own in-goal. But they did break out, and when Strathopoulos intercepted a pass of a lineout and ran 40 meters, they were in business again. A quick tap from Olivia Ortiz on a penalty set up the hooker for a try by Strathopoulos was too high and held up.

Coulibaly countered on the ensuing goalline dropout and almost scored before Ortiz picked up and was over.

Conversion good. 60-0. But it had taken far too long to score. At 55 minutes it was 46-0 and the USA could have been expected to score four or five more times. Instead, they got two, and it wasn't enough.

To be fair, it wouldn't have been enough anyway. Australia lost by 40 and with that math the Eagles needed to have won by 95. 

USA 60
Tries: Tafuna 4, Rogers 2, Jarrell-Searcy, Couibaly, Bargell, Ortiz
Convs: Cantorna 5

Samoa 0

Stats:

Possession: USA 57% Samoa 43%
Balls Played: USA 401 Samoa 267
Meters Carried: USA 1,381 Samoa 651
Tackle Breacks: USA 46 Samoa 24
Line Breaks: USA 11 Samoa 3
Tackles Made: USA 138 Samoa 181
Penalties Conceded: USA 13 Samoa 12
Most Carries: Hope Rogers 17, Freda Tafuna 15
Most Meters: Freda Tafuna 181 Erica Coulibaly 156
Most Tackles: Sui Tauasa Pauaraisa (Samoa) 21, Hallie Taufoou 17 Erica Jarrell-Searcy 16