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Thorburn rues poor start

US Eagles coach Peter Thorburn

United States coach Peter Thorburn, who will leave his post at the end of the World Cup, has expressed his disappointment with the poor start his team made in their narrow 21-25 loss to Samoa at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint Etienne, on Wednesday.

With three defeats from three so far and a clash with South Africa to come on Sunday, the US Eagles are set to finish the World Cup winless.

They grabbed a bonus point by losing by less than seven points but, as against England and Tonga earlier in the competition, they were made to pay for their poor start.

They were 3-22 down at half-time and it could have been more as Samoa pierced the Eagles' defence time and again, fly-half Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu in inspired form.

The second period was a different story, though.

The Americans grabbed their two tries and fly-half Mike Hercus booted 11 points, but a final try eluded them.

"It's a mystery why we fell away early on," Thorburn said.

"We didn't get the set-piece right or any line-out ball. Nothing magic was said at half-time but we improved.

"I think they got a little too far ahead at 22-3, but we toughed it out and the US public like to see that. They like to see effort put in."

Captain Hercus felt inexperience was to blame for yet another poor opening 40 minutes.

"Our players get only one or two chances to play in front of 30,000 or 40,000 people," he said.

"When our players run out, maybe they are taken aback by the enormity of the situation.

"We tell them not to worry about it but the only thing that can help them with this is experience."

Number eight Fifita Mounga, yellow-carded in the second half, came back on only to be flattened by a powerful tackle by Samoa flanker Justin Purdie.

Mounga was carried off on a stretcher and was immediately taken to hospital, but Thorburn played down the extent of the injury.

"He's got feeling in both hands and in his neck," he said. "They are taking him away for an MRI scan but it looks pretty positive.

"Samoa are a physical side and South Africa will be the same on Sunday, so we have to get used to it.

"We got a few knocks against England and had a three-day timespan to recover, so we have to survive and get out there and play again."