USA too strong for Russia

USA beat Russia 13-6 in a Pool C match at Stadium Taranaki on Thursday.

The second half went scoreless for 24 minutes when USA fly half Chris Myles increased the American lead to 13-3 with a close-in penalty goal, after earlier in the half missing three other attempts and a drop goal attempt in front of the posts.

Yury Kushnarev missed a simple penalty goal in the 71st minute to reduce the USA lead, to take his kicking statistics for the game to one from four attempts.

But Konstantin Rachkov did reduce the lead to 13-6 on 77 minutes, which was followed by a great move down the left wing from the kick off.

Russia spent the final minutes hot on attack, but failed to breach the USA line.

The Russians had been on the attack straight after the kick off and took the early lead when Kushnarev slotted a handy penalty in the third minute for a 3-0 lead.

The Americans, on the back foot early on, got back into the match and on 12 minutes Wyles kicked an equalising penalty goal.

At this stage there was much enterprising play, with both teams making probes into the other's territory.

USA scored the first try in the 19th minute, when scrum half Mike Petri got on the end of a slick American backline move with the Suniula brothers Andrew and Roland prominent.

Roland Suniula converted for a 10-3 lead.

Myles failed to increase the USA lead when he missed a kickable penalty in the 30th minute and soon after the start of the second spell missed another, more difficult attempt.

In the 58th minute Myles hit the right-hand upright with another attempt at goal and five minutes later missed an attempted drop goal from in front. USA's attempts to put the game beyond Russia were coming to nothing as they dominated possession and territory.

The Russian forwards were on a par with their USA opponents in the tight, but their lineout was a mess. They lost six lineouts from their own throw.