The final weekend of the WXV Global Series kicked off in style in Sports Illustrated Stadium, New Jersey, as the USA Women’s Eagles took on world champions England on home soil.

Despite a passionate performance by the Eagles, England were clinical and ruthless scoring nine tries including four tries for winger Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, to win 55-12, ending the USA’s five-game winning run.

After receiving player of the match, Claudia Moloney-Macdonald reflected, “This week was all about proving it to ourselves. We’ve had three really tough games against Canada, the last two weeks it obviously didn’t go the way we wanted it to go but for us it was all about learning as much as we possibly could from those two performances.

“We attacked it. From minute zero to minute 80. I just really proud of the girls and the way we turned up today.”

Here are three talking points from today’s game…

England back with bite

After the rugby world bayed for their winning streak to end, which it did, the Red Roses have been granted the space to evolve. A slew of changes to the starting lineup allowed new combinations to emerge and see the depth of talent in squad at play.

It was a tough day for USA’s wingers, as Claudia Maloney-MacDonald ran in four tries and Mia Venner a fifth, all executed through England patiently drawing in the USA defence through an upfront phases, before moving out to the backs whether Holly Aitchison or Meg Jones zipping the ball wide.

The Red Roses forward pack earned it today. Maddie Feaunati was relentless, earning a second half storming try of her own. Maud Muir put in a brilliant performance. Morwenna Talling doggedly enforcing tackles as she does.

At 50 minutes the intensity of the game rose, you could see the USA striving for every metre. But England seemed to relish the USA’s frustration and intensity and matched it, turning the tentative first half tussle into an all-out assault in the second half. It was brilliant to see England back with a bit of bite in their physicality again, which had waned in the previous Canada games.

The USA also played to their strengths, Hope Rogers powered over in the short to get the Eagles on the scoreboard, notching 175 points and taking her only four points shy of the all-time USA point scoring record. But England’s defensive line contained USA’s attack through their double hits, and not competing at the ruck, forcing bodies on feet and in the defensive lines. No gaps here.

Scrum o’clock

We also got witness a delicious battle amongst the front rows. The dark arts were certainly at play as the two sets of starting front rows tic-tac-toed their way through the first half.

England won a free kick at the scrum six minutes in. By twenty seven minutes in the referee was having words about disrupting the bind, with the USA winning a penalty at the scrum shortly after. Maud Muir not happy with that decision. A minute later, USA’s tighthead Keia Mae Sagapolu concedes a penalty for a late hit and England win another penalty at the scrum shortly after.

From here England hooker Amy Cokayne’s blood was up, which is always brilliant to watch, and then every lineout, scrum and carry became a battle. We even got witness one of Cokayne’s characteristic kicks, which she hoofed expertly into open space from an overthrow USA lineout.

Mackenzie Carson and Maud Muir also linked up to break the line and set up Claudia Moloney Macdonald’s third try.

Early in the second half, another scrum penalty for England, Maud Muir now grinning. And by 50 minutes England had the upperhand at the scrum, and continued to exert pressure through the rest of the game, culminating in Mona Lisa Topou’s sin bin in the 67th minute, and England’s Bryony Field taking a maul try two minutes later.

England’s front row substitutions, Hannah Botterman, Sarah Bern and Bryony Field, closed out the game superbly, with Bern’s try scratched off.

More in the tank

After all the epic results we’ve seen in the WXV Global Series across these two teams, this game was set up as another showdown. But ultimately we saw the gap in the rankings between these two teams, with USA entering today’s game ranked sixth and England ranked first.

The USA will take so much from this WXV Global Series. It has been enormously successful. Five wins from six [the first time they’ve had five consecutive wins in 20 years], new young players gaining vital international minutes and a team growing in confidence and identity.

They were clearly well drilled and confident in their game plan. Though taking it to the next level against the upper levels of the world rankings will take more than trying to beast their way through the biggest teams. They need to play the ball more and force the defensive line to make decisions.

Once the USA were under pressure, they defaulted to one out plays or pokey kicks. The difference in composure between England and USA was noticeable. Both the USA tries today were scored by their two most capped players. But patience is a virtue, and the momentum built from this WXV Global Series campaign sets up and incredibly interesting Pacific Four Series next spring.

Likewise, we have seen some brilliant new faces emerge in the Red Roses squad. Head coach John Mitchell faces the challenging decision if and how to usher in a new era for the Red Roses in the Women’s Six Nations next April.