Winning at the right time can make all the difference.

“It feels amazing to win,” said USA No. 8 Nic Johnson, who was one of an entire pack that put in some great effort this past week. Some of those players played 160 minutes. Johnson did not, giving way to Scott LaValla late. “They pulled the plug but that’s fine; I gave it everything I had. We were definitely psyched up for it. We just wanted to try to repeat we put in the other night. This was the game we targeted and it meant as much, if not more, than the first game. We were definitely ready.”

In a physical match that came down, in the end, to who battled hardest in the breakdown. Al the forwards made crucial tackles around the fringes and in front of the line. All the forwards hit the rucks and dealt with the physicality in the breakdown. All the forwards worked hard.

“The rucks were getting pretty nasty,” said Johnson with a smile. “They definitely made it tough on us and we made it tough on them.”

If it’s 13-6 or 65-0, it doesn’t matter. They got through it.

“It feels amazing,” Johnson said again. "A World Cup win is pretty rare. Everybody is exstatic. So amny guys have sacrificed so much, given up so much to just get here. To win as well is incredible."