Australia hold off US for last spot in Women's Rugby World Cup quarterfinals

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Australia lost and won and the United States won and lost at the Women's Rugby World Cup on Saturday.

Australia took the last quarterfinal spot despite a 47-7 hiding from England in Brighton.

The U.S. scorched Samoa 60-0 earlier but they were not enough points as the Eagles missed the quarterfinals for the first time in 11 years on points difference.

England won its 30th successive test, tying its own world record streak that ended when it lost the 2022 World Cup final to New Zealand. England hasn't lost since. The Pool A winner will play Scotland in the quarterfinals next weekend.

Australia will face Pool B winner Canada, which put away the Scots 40-19 in Exeter.

Also, Fiji won its first ever international against Wales 28-25 in a game that was attended by William, the Prince of Wales and patron of Welsh rugby. His wife, Kate, the Princess of Wales and patron of English rugby, was in Brighton to watch England.

After the big win by the U.S., Australia would fail to reach the quarterfinals only if it lost by at least 76 points and didn't get a bonus point.

That looked far less likely from the sixth minute when hooker Adiana Talakai crashed over following a scrum penalty for the Wallaroos and a lineout drive.

Also in the first quarter, fellow front-rower Eva Karpani was held up over the line and England's only points were a Jess Breach try from a forward pass. Australia's storming start rattled England into uncharacteristic errors in front of a near sell-out crowd of 30,443.

But when they strung 12 phases and lock Abbie Ward scored in the 32nd, the Red Roses had clicked and pulled away on the back of ever-reliable forward power. Six of their seven tries were by forwards.

Sadia Kabeya and Kelsey Clifford went over twice, along with Ward and Sarah Bern, who finished the game in the sin-bin. Their 47 points were the second most Australia have ever conceded in the World Cup.

“We have trust in the plan,” Kabeya said. “We did what we needed to do. We've got huge carriers across our forward pack. We've got threats across the park, our forwards can't take all the credit.”

England's only apparent concerns were injuries to prop Hannah Botterman, who suffered a back spasm, and fullback Ellie Kildunne, the 2024 world player of the year who took a heavy knock to her head.

Australia celebrated making the last eight by hoisting their coach Jo Yapp, a former England World Cup captain. Yapp is leaving the Wallaroos after the World Cup after nearly two years in charge.

The U.S. put pressure on Australia in their quarterfinal race by delivering a 10-try win to stay in contention. Australia prevailed on points difference, plus-33 to the Eagles' minus-2.

“We put our whole hearts on the line, that's all I can ask for," Eagles captain Kate Zackary said.

Flanker Freda Tafuna scored four tries. Tafuna was given a hat trick against Australia in their 31-31 draw last weekend but, post-match, one of her tries was awarded to prop Hope Rogers, the Eagles' most capped player.

Rogers scored two more against Samoa.

Tafuna, named the best U.S. collegiate player for the last two years, started the Americans' points chase with a try from her own half in the sixth minute.

They had the four-try bonus point by the 27th. But with points so badly needed, McKenzie Hawkins was replaced as the goalkicker after missing her first three attempts and Gabriella Cantorna took over. She landed five of seven.

Samoa, playing its first World Cup in 11 years, was spirited and fought to the end. It enjoyed a purple patch while U.S. replacement wing Kristen Bitter was in the sin-bin but the Eagles were just as determined not to concede. Flanker Georgie Perris-Redding stripped Samoa in a tackle between her own posts, and Zackary made a try-saving tackle on Samoa's Taytana Pati Ah-Cheung.

Tafuna's fourth try sent the U.S. past 50 points in a World Cup match for the first time in 15 years.

No. 2-ranked Canada overpowered Scotland in Exeter to move into the quarterfinals with a third straight bonus-point win.

“I really think we’re prepared for (the quarterfinals),” captain Alex Tessier said.

Underdog Scotland made Canada miss 27 tackles but Canada always found another gear to slip into, especially through its pack.

Of Canada's six tries, five were by front-rowers and the penalty try came from a pushover attempt that was illegally collapsed by Scotland. Canada hooker Emily Tuttosi was the player of the match for scoring twice.

Prop McKinley Hunt opened Canada's scoring, and Scotland replied through wing Rhona Lloyd in their only visit to the 22 in the first half.

Hunt would have had a second try but the ball was cynically jolted from her grasp by Scotland No. 8 Evie Gallagher, who was yellow-carded. Scotland's seven-woman scrum was then monstered by Canada's for the penalty try.

Canada then swept from halfway for Tuttosi to reach out and score for 19-5 at halftime.

Gallagher returned from the sin-bin in the second half to score from a great attacking line and trail 19-12, but Canada's forwards took charge again with tries by Tuttosi and replacement props Brittany Kassil and Olivia DeMerchant.

In between, Scotland wing Francesca McGhie scored her sixth try of the tournament, tying Canada's Julia Schell and the Eagles' Tafuna for the tournament lead.

Fiji held on in a chaotic thriller in Exeter to earn its second ever World Cup win and extend Wales' longest World Cup losing streak to six matches.

Wales dominated the second half and scored more tries overall — five to four — but failed to land any goalkicks while Fiji's Litiani Vueti converted all four of hers.

Fijiana center Josifini Neihamu starred with two tries on the back of her forwards' power, and secured the victory with a last-minute jackal near her own try-line.

“The steal at the end was more important (than my tries) because that is for my teammates and for my country,” Neihamu said.

The result of the first international between the teams was not just a boon for the Fijiana, who are appearing at only their second World Cup, but also for their coach Ioan Cunningham, who coached Wales from 2021-24 and to the World Cup quarterfinals in 2022.

After the Fiji players tossed him in the air and threw water on him, Cunningham said, “We've got an incredible group of athletes who can really do special things on the field. My task has been to get that out of them, get them to express themselves and play with no fear, and we showed that today.”

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby