Steve Borthwick’s men will be looking to follow up their sublime 2-0 series win in Argentina with another big performance against the USA at the Audi Field in Washington, DC on Saturday.
To Win
USA | Draw | England
Handicap
USA | England
It’s safe to say that this under strength England group has certainly made the most of the time they’ve spent together over the past few weeks, with a number of youngsters having been blooded and some “second choice” players coming up with some massive showings. Tom Willis in particular has been immense at No 8, putting in some brutal performances and perhaps even giving British & Irish Lions boss Andy Farrell something to think about.
No reference to England’s recent outings would be complete without mention of George Ford though, with the veteran flyhalf putting on two absolutely game-shaping displays in South America. In many ways, it’s a bit of a rugby travesty that one of the Rose’s most influential players of the past decade never got his shot in the famous red jersey of the Lions, but Borthwick and his coaching group have definitely been a lot better off for his presence this month.
With Borthwick likely to field an even more inexperienced outfit this week, those that do get selected will be under pressure to maintain their current level of performance against an Eagles side that shouldn’t realistically pose them too much of a threat.
Coach Scott Lawrence’s men head into this clash off the back of a good 36-17 win over Belgium and disappointing 20-31 defeat to Spain last week. Given they currently languish in 16th place on the overall World Rugby rankings, unless the visitors have an off-day to end all off-days, there isn’t much to suggest that this USA team will be able to match the accuracy or intensity of England.
Verdict: England on the minus
England to continue their evolution this month by putting away the Americans with wase.
