England U20 are still unbeaten, but this was not the cruise the scoreboard briefly promised.
Tyler Offiah, already part of England’s wider attacking story in Georgia, gives the article its feature-image focus.
Andy Titterrell’s side beat USA U20 68-40 at Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi on Thursday, moving to two wins from two in Pool C of the World Rugby Junior World Championship.
The result keeps England level on 10 points with Argentina, who earlier beat Ireland 62-40. That leaves next Tuesday’s England-Argentina meeting carrying direct semi-final weight.
England survive USA surge before late control
World Rugby’s match report recorded England leading 42-14 at half-time and 49-14 early in the second period, only for an illness-hit USA squad to produce a serious response.
Dane Mitchell scored a hat-trick for the Americans, with Gavin Holder’s try securing a bonus point and briefly cutting the gap to 16 points. That forced England to close the game again rather than coast through it.
Jack Lewis, Finlay Cunnison, Oliver Scola, Jerold Gorleku, George Pearson and Nick Lilley had already crossed before the final quarter, while Jonny Weimann and captain Connor Treacey added the decisive late scores around Mitchell’s third.
The key detail is not just the 68 points. England conceded 40, against a USA side World Rugby reported had lost six players to illness in camp. That gives Titterrell’s staff a sharp defensive review before Argentina.
- Result: England U20 68-40 USA U20
- Venue: Avchala Stadium, Tbilisi
- Pool C: Argentina and England both on 10 points
- Next: England U20 v Argentina U20, Tuesday 7 July
England remain exactly where they wanted to be after two rounds. The route there, though, was noisy enough to matter.
Sources: World Rugby matchday two report, World Rugby U20 Championship pool tables, Read Rugby Union’s England U20 v USA preview.
