Four long-range strikes by Jeremy Guscott in a 16-try rout showed that the England centre has lost none of his pace or finishing power just 40 days before the World Cup is due to start.
At 34, Guscott may be the senior citizen of the squad but the years slipped away each time he got the ball in his hands and saw a fresh opportunity to clip the wings of the American Eagles and boost his England tally to 28 tries in 61 internationals - a record that puts him second to Rory Underwood.
England have often struggled to subdue standard opposition like the Eagles but not on this occasion: Guscott apart, Dan Luger, Neil Back and Matt Perry each plundered a brace of tries to underline their supremacy.
This was England's second biggest victory in Test rugby - they beat Holland 110-0 in a World Cup qualifier last October - and their biggest ever at Twickenham where a 15,000 crowd acclaimed each score as though it were the latest pass in a bull fight. It would be wrong to belittle England's achievement: after all, the Eagles recently defeated Canada who proved a handful for Wales earlier on Saturday.
Even so England, who meet Canada at Twickenham next Saturday, will be under no illusions about the limited value of this runaway performance. Shrewdly marshalled by the half-backs Matt Dawson and Jonny Wilkinson, their strategy of keeping the ball in hand at all times bore dividends after a shaky start, but the question remains whether a positive approach will come unstuck when their backs are confronted by world-class defenders who play in their faces.
Still, England proved their long hot summer training has not been in vain: their forwards have never looked fitter and quicker, notably the frontrowers Phil Greening and Graham Rowntree, and the back division kept its discipline with patience and intelligence, secure in the knowledge that the ball would be moved wide. The ability to work rapidly through the phases shown in their June defeat by Australia has been complemented by improved support running and sharper finishing.
"To score that many points in any game is very pleasing, we weren't expecting to get 100-plus," admitted Clive Woodward the England coach. "I think I already know my World Cup team but it is important to get the squad of 30 right. This game has helped me do that. I was particularly pleased by our second-half performance".
Indeed, England, who have a habit of going off the boil whenever they build a solid lead, wrapped up a total of 75 points in the second half aided by the goal kicking of Wilkinson who finished with 26 points from 13 conversions. The New Zealand referee Paul Honiss did the Eagles no favours, with a harsh penalty try for offside and picking them up on forward passes while England twice got away with the same offence.
The England captain Martin Johnson claimed the opening 20 minutes resembled a Five Nations game in its competitive intensity with his side taking 16 minutes to get off the mark with an opportunist try by Richard Hill. Near halftime the Eagles grabbed a short-range score through their prop George Sucher but England were simply unstoppable.
According to Johnson, it was Wilkinson's ability to vary the point of attack that allowed England to impose the game they desired. "Once we got on top our fitness told. We kept our shape and were able to score long-range tries," he said. "The Eagles did find a couple of holes in our defence but generally we did okay in that area. Without disrespect to the US, I think Canada will be tougher."
Amid the scoring blitz the return of talented loose forward Lawrence Dallaglio, who faces RFU drugs and disrepute charges, was relatively low key. The Wasps forward looked athletic and relaxed and provided the final pass for tries by Luger and Phil de Glanville who seems likely to win a place in the World Cup squad.
It is uncertain whether Dallaglio will be in the team to play Canada which will probably be announced on Wednesday, the same day on which his disciplinary hearing begins. If the former England skipper is left out, either Martin Curry or Ben Clarke is likely to play at number eight.
Scorers: England: Tries: Hill, Perry 2, Back 2, Dawson, Luger 2, Guscott 4, Johnson, Greening, penalty try, de Glanville. Conversions: Wilkinson 13. United States: Try: Sucher. Penalty: Dalzell.
England: Perry (Stimpson, 59 min), Luger, de Glanville, Guscott, Healey; Wilkinson, Dawson; Rowntree; Woodman, 56), Greening; McCarthy, 68), Vickery; Green, 68), Johnson (capt), Grewcock (Rodber, 59), Hill, Back, Dallaglio.
United States: Schuman (Morrow, 44); Anitoni, Grobler, Takau, Saulala; Williams, (Niu, 62), Dalzell (OMBAC); Sucher (Washington), Billups (Pontypridd), Lejner (Old Blues), Gross (Rovigo), Parker, Hodges, Mounga (Paga, 64), Lyle (capt).
Referee: P Honiss (New Zealand).
