George Ford proud of his side as England complete tour clean sweep
A much-changed England side shrugged off two lengthy delays caused by lightning to beat the United States 40-5 in Washington DC on the back of a 2-0 series win in Argentina.
Curtis Langdon, Luke Northmore, Cadan Murley, Jack van Poortvliet, Harry Randall and Gabriel Oghre, one of six debutants, grabbed England's six tries with Ford landing four conversions with one from another new face, Charlie Atkinson.
'The boys have been unbelievable all tour. They deserve that tonight,' said Ford, who won his 102nd cap. 'It is a proud moment for the families, so we will celebrate.
That's all from DC 🫡 #USAvENG pic.twitter.com/yFx6jTPVQo
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) July 20, 2025
'There has been a lot of hard work and the conditions were difficult tonight.
'We have won all three games, we have had six new caps, I am proud of the effort of everyone.'
After kick-off at Audi Field was delayed due to an electrical storm in the American capital, England seized control when the Eagles were reduced to 14 by a deliberate knock-on from outside-half Chris Hilsenbeck.
Langdon was the beneficiary of a driving line-out for the first score and then new boy Max Ojomoh slipped in fellow centre Northmore for a simple score under the posts.
Alex Dombrandt and debutant Jack Carpenter had scores ruled out on either side of a 40-minute delay for lightning before Murley raced over in the final play of the first half.
Van Poortvliet, showing his sound positional sense, went over straight after the restart and England were camped in the Americans' 22 for most of the second period.
The hosts held out until Immanuel Feyi-Waboso sliced through to send the supporting Randall over and Bristol hooker Oghre burst out of a maul to score as England turned to the bench.
The US were finally on the scoreboard in the final seconds as a well-worked ploy at the front of a line-out saw Chris Poidevin put Shilo Klein over for a consolation score.
'It is a big challenge, but the boys stayed on it,' said home captain Benjamin Bonasso. 'We trusted the process and got a try at the end of the game.
'We have got to keep going. Facing this type of speed and conditions always makes you better.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
21 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Venus Williams makes a winning return to action at the age of 45
She and fellow American Baptiste proved too strong for Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue as they triumphed 6-3 6-1 in a last-16 encounter that lasted 72 minutes. Her comeback will continue as she takes on another American in Peyton Stearns in the first round of the singles. It is Williams' first appearances in a WTA Tour event since March 2024. 'It was great to come out here and see the energy,' Williams said on Sky Sports after the match. 'As we were walking out to the court, we knew this was going to be a match. 'Our opponents actually played very well. It wasn't easy for us but we brought it together quickly as a team. It was inspiring to be out here. I love this game and still hitting it big.' Williams joked she wished she could have partnered with Baptiste, the 23-year-old world number 50, years earlier rather than playing with her sister Serena. She said: 'I think from the first point, I could see that we were going to be a good team. We just should have started playing earlier, years ago, right? I think Serena was just in the way!' Emma Raducanu enjoyed rare doubles success in Washington (Adam Davy/PA) Britain's Emma Raducanu scored an eye-catching win on her doubles debut alongside former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina. Competing together for the first time, the duo fought back from an early deficit to beat fourth seeds Tereza Mihalikova and Britain's Olivia Nicholls 2-6 7-6 (4) 11-9 in a decisive tie-break set. It was a notable win for Raducanu and Rybakina against opponents who triumphed at the Berlin Open last month and also reached the final at Indian Wells earlier this year. Look at what it means!!! ❤️🔥 2023 champion Dan Evans digs deep to overcome Bergs 3-6 6-4 6-3 to progress in Washington. @mubadalacitidc | #MubadalaCitiDCOpen — ATP Tour (@atptour) July 21, 2025 Earlier, former men's singles champion Dan Evans enjoyed a triumphant return to the tournament as he came from behind to beat Zizou Bergs. Evans, the veteran former British number one, triumphed in 2023 but opted not to defend his title last year as he focused on the Olympics. The 35-year-old was awarded a wildcard to participate this time and took advantage as he overcame a slow start to beat the Belgian Bergs, the world number 52, 3-6 6-4 6-3. Bergs looked to have resisted the fightback when he edged back ahead with a break in the final set but Evans powered back to secure victory by winning four successive games. 'I didn't just want to take the wildcard and lose,' Evans said on Sky Sports. 'I felt I needed to pay them back a bit and try to 'defend' my title, because I couldn't last year. 'It was great, really enjoyed it, but it was rally difficult. There wasn't much rhythm. He played very well and I was lucky to come through that.'
The Sun
21 minutes ago
- The Sun
Luke Littler selling signed sketches of himself online for eye-watering sum
DARTS sensation Luke Littler is selling sketches of himself for £1,295. There are four framed drawings of the teen arrows ace to choose from — each signed with his nickname, The Nuke. One shows him after his world championship win and another holding the Grand Slam trophy. They are the highest priced items on 18-year-old Littler's online shop. The pictures come with a certificate of authenticity from The Fan Cave — a site which lists the same items for less than half the price at £595. As well as images, clothing, darts and mugs, Littler's merchandise shop is also selling rubber-backed 'The Nuke' feeding mats for pets at £15. The listing states: 'Whether your furry friend is a messy eater or you want to add colour to their space, this mat is the perfect solution.' Luke recently left fans divided with a new look for the World Matchplay Darts. The teenager had ditched his iconic shirt that he had worn since last year. Luke kept his traditional purple and yellow but with a new design. The new shirt featured yellow paint strokes on the sleeves with a main purple body. However, the nuclear logos had been removed from the body, as had the yellow panelling under the sleeve. Luke Littler reveals gruelling new training regime that saw him almost break darts record 2
Powys County Times
22 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Venus Williams makes a winning return to action at the age of 45
Venus Williams made a winning return to action after 16 months out with doubles victory alongside Hailey Baptiste in Washington on Monday. The 45-year-old seven-time grand slam tournament winner accepted a wildcard to compete in the Mubadala Citi DC Open this week. She and fellow American Baptiste proved too strong for Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue as they triumphed 6-3 6-1 in a last-16 encounter that lasted 72 minutes. She's back 🤩 The one and only @Venuseswilliams returns to court. #MubadalaCitiDCOpen — wta (@WTA) July 21, 2025 Her comeback will continue as she takes on another American in Peyton Stearns in the first round of the singles. It is Williams' first appearances in a WTA Tour event since March 2024. 'It was great to come out here and see the energy,' Williams said on Sky Sports after the match. 'As we were walking out to the court, we knew this was going to be a match. 'Our opponents actually played very well. It wasn't easy for us but we brought it together quickly as a team. It was inspiring to be out here. I love this game and still hitting it big.' Williams joked she wished she could have partnered with Baptiste, the 23-year-old world number 50, years earlier rather than playing with her sister Serena. She said: 'I think from the first point, I could see that we were going to be a good team. We just should have started playing earlier, years ago, right? I think Serena was just in the way!' Britain's Emma Raducanu scored an eye-catching win on her doubles debut alongside former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina. Competing together for the first time, the duo fought back from an early deficit to beat fourth seeds Tereza Mihalikova and Britain's Olivia Nicholls 2-6 7-6 (4) 11-9 in a decisive tie-break set. It was a notable win for Raducanu and Rybakina against opponents who triumphed at the Berlin Open last month and also reached the final at Indian Wells earlier this year. Look at what it means!!! ❤️🔥 2023 champion Dan Evans digs deep to overcome Bergs 3-6 6-4 6-3 to progress in Washington. @mubadalacitidc | #MubadalaCitiDCOpen — ATP Tour (@atptour) July 21, 2025 British number one Katie Boulter fell at the first hurdle in the singles as she went out 3-6 4-6 to Greece's Maria Sakkari. Boulter lost her opening service game in each set and was never able to regain the initiative. Earlier, former men's singles champion Dan Evans enjoyed a triumphant return to the tournament as he came from behind to beat Zizou Bergs. Evans, the veteran former British number one, triumphed in 2023 but opted not to defend his title last year as he focused on the Olympics. The 35-year-old was awarded a wildcard to participate this time and took advantage as he overcame a slow start to beat the Belgian Bergs, the world number 52, 3-6 6-4 6-3. Bergs looked to have resisted the fightback when he edged back ahead with a break in the final set but Evans powered back to secure victory by winning four successive games. 'I didn't just want to take the wildcard and lose,' Evans said on Sky Sports. 'I felt I needed to pay them back a bit and try to 'defend' my title, because I couldn't last year. 'It was great, really enjoyed it, but it was rally difficult. There wasn't much rhythm. He played very well and I was lucky to come through that.'
