England v USA Betting Tips [26 September 2019]

World number 13 United States of America will start their Rugby World Cup (RWC) 2019 campaign with a Pool ‘C’ match against number three ranked England.

England started the tournament with a comfortable 35-3 win over Tonga. Although the final score flattered England, they were pushed by the unfancied Tongans. Two first-half tries from Manu Tuilagi and a late Luke Cowan-Dickie try earned them the bonus point with a fourth try. There are few concerns around the fitness of Henry Slade, who appeared to have been struggling with his left knee later on in the match. Regardless, this match was a good solid start for the ‘Three Roses’. The points were evenly divided across the two halves (18 and 17) and England have room for improvement before the real test begins in the tournament.

USA have warmed up for the competition with a 20-15 win over Canada in a friendly international. That makes it four wins out of five for the Americans, who have last played England in the RWC in 2007. They were brushed aside easily by 18 points in France then, but this is a completely different USA side. The launch of Major League Rugby to competitions like the Americas Rugby Championship, there are enough opportunities for the USA players to shine domestically and internationally. With nothing to lose against a traditional favourite, USA might come out all guns blazing and try to corner England.

England were bottled up against Tonga for the first 20 minutes, but recovered their composure later on. With a bonus point win against Tonga out of the way, England would be targeting another bonus point against USA. The Americans, though, are a much-changed outfit from the last one that faced England in the 2007 RWC. This still is England’s game to lose and the favourites may not oblige this time.