"rugby has four main ways to score: tries, where a player takes the ball over the opponent's in-goal area (worth five points); conversion kicks, which take place after successful tries and require you to make it through the goal posts (two points); penalties, which give teams a chance to kick at the goal after an infraction by the other team (three points); or a drop goal, which is when a player volleys the ball in-between the posts while in play (three points)."
"As you can see, England scoring 69 points to USA's seven is an old-fashioned ass-kicking, and since the Rugby World Cup format consists of a group stage (four teams play each other in round robin games, with the top two making it to the knock-out round), Maher and the Eagles needed to win their next game. Except that next game was against Australia, and the Wallaroos are no joke."
"Head coach Sione Fukofuka called it a "must-win" game and made some major adjustments to the lineup to hopefully secure a dub. Saturday's game was perhaps the best rugby match of the year, with the USA and Australia going back-and-forth across the pitch in a brilliant display of the sport. Journalist Daniel Gallan covered the match for the Guardian, writing, "I'm not exaggerating when I say that was one of the best games of rugby I've ever watched.""
Ilona Maher is a notable member of the USA Women's Rugby Team, which opened the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup with a 69–7 loss to England in Sunderland. Rugby scoring includes tries (five points), conversion kicks (two points), penalties (three points), and drop goals (three points). The tournament group stage has four teams in round-robin play, with the top two advancing to knockouts. The heavy opening defeat made the USA's second pool match against Australia a must-win for advancement. Head coach Sione Fukofuka altered the lineup and emphasized urgency. The USA–Australia match featured intense back-and-forth play and drew strong praise from observers.
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