Clever joy as Eagles keep Bears at bay

UNITED STATES captain Todd Clever admitted he was a nervous man after his side held off a late Russian rally to win their Pool C encounter 13-6 in New Plymouth.

The Bears were making their World Cup debut and a good start saw them take a 3-0 lead through a Yuri Kushnarev penalty.

But the USA enjoyed the better of the contest with Saracens full-back Chris Wyles kicking two penalties and converting Mike Petri’s well-worked try to seal the win.