England made it two from two at the Rugby World Cup, but the 45-7 victory over the United States at the Kobe Misaki Stadium did not go without controversy on a dramatic night in Japan.
Red cards, concussion and high tackles were all major talking points from the match, though the long story short is that England ran in seven tries in another comfortable victory to maintain their advantage at the top of Pool C.
However, that barely scratches the surface of the encounter. USA had flanker John Quill sent off for a horrendous tackle on Owen Farrell, while England’s Piers Francis could face further disciplinary action for a high tackle on full-back Will Hooley – who would end the night in hospital after a second concussive blow.
There was also praise from Eddie Jones for his team, criticism from Clive Woodward for a tackle that “could have ended Owen Farrell’s career” despite him condoning Reece Hodge’s challenge on Peceli Yato, and plenty more from the 12th match of Japan 2019.
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Episode six will be released on Saturday as Jack de Menezes and Sam Peters look ahead to Sunday’s clash between Wales and Australia.
