USA beat Samoa 60-0 in ruthless display of power rugby
Ilona Maher of USA is tackled by Drenna Falaniko of Samoa and teammate Keilamarita Pouri-Lane during the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 Pool A match
©Photo by Molly Darlington - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images
USA women's team delivered a commanding performance to shut out Samoa 60–0 in their final Pool A fixture at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, keeping their hopes for a quarterfinal berth alive.
With a staggering ten tries, including four from Freda Tafuna, the Eagles showed both depth and discipline across both halves, dominating every aspect of the match.
The match kicked off at 13:30 BST at York Community Stadium, and it took just five minutes for the Eagles to put their first stamp on the game.
Freda Tafuna, in what would become a career-defining performance, broke the line and surged through for the opening try. The Americans continued to punish the Samoan defense with precise ball movement and brutal forward carries.
Hope Rogers added two more tries in the 10th and 23rd minutes, bulldozing through defenders with raw strength. Cassidy Bargell made it 20–0 in the 26th minute, finishing a well-executed phase near the corner. Gabby Cantorna added the conversion from Bargell’s try in the 27th minute to make it 22–0.
Just two minutes later, Erica Coulibaly added another try in the 29th minute, taking the halftime score to 27–0. Samoa, despite valiant defensive efforts, found themselves pinned deep inside their half with no answers to the USA's relentless attacks.
The second half began explosively. Within seconds of the restart, Erica Jarrell-Searcy powered over for a try in the 40th minute, and Gabby Cantorna added the conversion in the 41st, stretching the scoreline to 34–0.
The Eagles’ momentum never slowed. Freda Tafuna returned to the scoresheet with her second try in the 43rd minute, and followed it up with a third in the 50th. Cantorna converted in the 51st minute, bringing the score to 46–0.
In the 60th minute, the USA suffered a brief setback when Kristin Bitter was shown a yellow card for repeated infringements. Playing with 14, they stayed composed, and Tafuna completed her four-try haul in the 65th minute. Cantorna slotted the conversion at 66′, taking the tally to 53–0.
Samoa could not capitalize on the temporary advantage, and USA closed the match in style. Olivia Ortiz scored in the 76th minute, and Cantorna calmly delivered her fifth and final conversion in the 77th minute, sealing the 60–0 shutout.
