Although the Eagles started slowly they eventually got the result they wanted with a 47-7 victory over Kazakhstan. The 10 line-up changes head coach Pete Steinberg made from the Ireland match four days before seemed to have their impact early as the Eagles struggled to finish their chances. However, as the team settled in they began to wear down Kazakhstan with a powerful scrum and hard tackling that eventually resulted in tries and the win.
The match began with the U.S. very much on the front foot and looking to score early. Scrumhalf Deven Owsiany nearly had the honors when she found a huge gap in the Kazakhstan defense just a few minutes in. However, in a omen of what was to come the first 20 minutes, she didn't have support and turned the ball over. During the first 20 minutes the U.S. had several chances to score tries but a combination of a lack of concentration and a strong Kazakhstan defense kept them from picking up points.
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Then in a surprise twist Kazakhstan took an early lead. The U.S. had been flat receiving passes while Kazakhstan had been good at hitting the line early. That paid off as captain and fly-half Anna Yakovleva intercepted a pass and outran the U.S. defense for the early score. With the conversion Kazakhstan was up 7-0 with only 13 minutes gone.
After the try the U.S. returned to having the bulk of the possession but without reward. That finally changed around the 20 minute mark when Nathalie Marchino scored the Eagles opening try. This time the Eagles stayed patient and were accurate with their passes. That allowed the ball to be swung out wide to Marchino to beat her defender one on one for the score. Hannah Stolba's conversion missed.
Marchino's try opened the flood gates for the U.S. as Vanesha McGee was the next to score. The U.S. did well to earn a turnover and then a lineout that set up their attack. The forwards did a good job of sucking in the defense and when the ball was swung out wide Bui Baravilala made a strong run to set up McGee for the finish. Once again Stolba wasn't able to connect on the conversion.
The Eagles then ended the half with their third try just five minutes before the break. Marchino was once again at the heart of the play as she ran through four defenders before offloading to Kitt Wagner for the score. The conversion was missed again and the U.S. went into halftime with a 15-7 lead.
In the second half things opened up for the Eagles and early. Just a few minutes in Stolba would cross under the posts thanks to a huge run from Sharon Blaney that set her up. Only a couple of minutes after that Lynelle Kugler made a nice run on the touchline and an even better over the head pass to Emilie Bydwell for the try. Both conversions were good to ballon the Eagles lead to 29-7 after just seven minutes into the half.
After the try Steinberg emptied his bench but the Eagles continuity remained. They continued to dominate possession and Kazakhstan really began to tire. Sylvia Braaten became the latest to take advantage with a pair of tries that raised the score to 29-7.
Unfortunately for the Eagles they began to tire a bit themselves and the scoring dropped off. It wasn't until Stolba hit an easy penalty with ten minutes remaining that the Eagles crossed the 40 point mark. They finished off the scoring with a line break from Owsiany and an offload to Meya Bizer to make it 47-7.
Overall it was a much improved performance from the Eagles. Physically they were dominant, especially at the scrum. Their finishing in the second half was much improved and they got solid contributions from a number of players. That said, there is still plenty to work on, especially finishing and conversions. The U.S. will be disappointed they left so many points on the board but will be happy that they got the win. Now they must wait for the result of the New Zealand-Ireland game to find out exactly what they need to do on the last day of pool play.