ESHER, England (AP) — Tonga routed the United States 44-13 in its Churchill Cup rugby debut Wednesday, with winger Viliami Iongi scoring four tries.
The victory gave Tonga consecutive wins for the first time since the 2007 World Cup in France, and set up a clash with the defending champion England Saxons on Sunday for a berth in the June 18 final in Worcester.
The Saxons thrashed the U.S. 87-8 on Saturday, and the U.S. reacted by fielding its best available players among 13 changes. But the Eagles were overwhelmed by the Tonga backs, notably Iongi.