REACTION: USA coach Gary Gold described his team’s 7-45 rout at the hands of England as a “calamity in Kobe” and vowed to bounce back after “letting themselves down pretty badly”.

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The Eagles shipped seven tries to Eddie Jones’s side at the Kobe Misaki Stadium on Thursday and only avoided the ignominy of a shut-out with a score after the final gong.

“I feel we let ourselves down badly,” a disconsolate Gold told reporters after the match.

“It was a bit of a calamity in Kobe.”

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The South African coach said his team had been outclassed in every department of the game and pinpointed the “outstanding” England playmaker George Ford as a major thorn in their side.

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“We were taught a lesson. We lost in every single aspect of the game, lost line-outs, defence and most importantly lost the kicking game,” rued Gold.

While the Eagles were very unlikely to beat a team ranked 10 places ahead of them in the world pecking order, they hoped to give a better account of themselves.

“We’re a better rugby team than that. Not as good as England but we’re better than that,” he said.

The USA did not help their cause by losing John Quill for the last 10 minutes of the game after he saw the first red card of the tournament for a reckless shoulder charge to the head of England’s Owen Farrell.

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Gold had no complaints, saying the rules were clear.

“You are not allowed to make contact with the head, and you have to use your arms (in the tackle) – he didn’t,” said the coach.

Life does not get much easier for the USA in Pool C, considered this World Cup’s ‘group of death’, as they play France on October 2.

Gold said both fullback Will Hooley, who was stretchered off the field to the hospital and prop David Ainuu, who limped off with an ankle injury, were unlikely to recover for the French clash.

“Our reaction will define us. We’ll show up to work tomorrow,” said Eagles skipper Blaine Scully.

“While we are bitterly disappointed in the performance and result, I’m still confident in this group of players,” added Gold. “I know they are better players than that.”

Agence France-Presse

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