Relieved Carpenter relishes making long-awaited England debut in USA
But the match in the American capital kicked off an hour later than planned due to a lightning strike in the area, with the game then halted by a further half an hour on 29 minutes when another struck within 10 miles of the ground when England were 14-0 up.
The disruption followed several similar incidents at the recent Club World Cup in the US, with champions Chelsea's clash against Benfica delayed by nearly two hours after the Portuguese giants endured an even longer disruption against Auckland City.
Sale Sharks full-back Carpenter, watched on by dad Will, mum Jackie, partner Federica and brother Josh at Audi Field, was one of six players to be handed their debuts alongside fellow starters Max Ojomoh and Arthur Clark.
And asked about how the delays affected him, he said: 'Most of us getting new caps were just hoping the game was going to start, to be honest!
'Thankfully the weather held out eventually – there are a lot of happy boys in there and it's been a really special tour.
'It's probably not one the lads expected – it was probably the longest game of rugby a lot of the boys have had.
'But to go out there and get the win makes it very special.
'We've got a lot of strong leaders in there who led the way, kept us composed and got us chilled out and fired up at the right time.
'Mentally it's quite tough when you're about to start a game, then come off again.
'But I thought the boys handled it really well – to get three wins out of three is a great way to do it.
'The connections boys have made is massive and there are lots of happy faces in the dressing room right now.
'It was definitely special [to have my family here] – they're the reason I'm here. They've supported me throughout as a young one and as a professional.
'For them to be here for my first one is massively important to me.'
Curtis Langdon, Luke Northmore, Cadan Murley, Jack van Poortvliet, Harry Randall and debutant Gabriel Oghre all scored to make it three transatlantic wins from three and extend England's winning run to seven matches – their longest streak since back in 2020.
Carpenter nearly got on the scoresheet himself only for his dream debut try to be denied after a narrowly-adjudged Murley knock-on.
USA grabbed a late consolation through Shilo Klein to give the home fans who remained something to cheer about but England's work was done as they ended their triumphant tour in style.
England will now enjoy their summer break before gearing up for crunch autumn internationals against the likes of Australia and New Zealand at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
And Carpenter, who delivered a rock-solid display on debut, is desperate to be involved.
'That's definitely a goal of mine,' he added.
'Whether it happens or not I don't know – I've got to go back and perform for Sale now.
'We'll definitely enjoy the break and hopefully when autumn comes round I'm still performing and can get a few more caps.'
Purchase your tickets to the Autumn Nations Series at Allianz Stadium https://www.eticketing.co.uk/rfu/
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Evening Standard
9 minutes ago
- Evening Standard
Transfer news LIVE: Arsenal FC in Eze bid; Gyokeres medical; Isak to Liverpool twist; Chelsea eye Rogers; Man Utd
A summer window which has already seen one record-breaking deal is gearing up for another as Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United all continue to splash the cash ahead of the new Premier League season. Alexander Isak has told Newcastle he wants to leave, and Liverpool are his most likely destination - but he will cost far more than the British record £116million already spent on Florian Wirtz this summer. Benjamin Sesko could replace Isak.
Evening Standard
9 minutes ago
- Evening Standard
Manchester United vs West Ham: Friendly prediction, kick-off time, team news, TV, live stream, h2h, odds today
The Portuguese head coach will have had an extra week to drill his philosophies and ideas into his squad, and the addition of Mbeumo means he is likely to have two of his first-choice front three on show.
BBC News
39 minutes ago
- BBC News
Leeds Ironman event to be held in city for first time
Leeds is to host its first Ironman event on Sunday with organisers hailing the city's "passion" for triathlon racing. About 2,500 athletes will take on the gruelling endurance challenge, starting in Roundhay Park and consisting of a 3.8km (2.4 mile) swim, 180km (112 mile) bike ride and a city has been associated with triathlons thanks to the achievements of the Brownlee brothers and The Brownlee Centre - the UK's first purpose-built triathlon training Leeds has not hosted an event since the 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series. Ironman race director Lewis Peacock said: "I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to race in Leeds." "It's an iconic location," said Mr Peacock."Triathlon and Leeds, they go hand in hand. It's got such a rich history in the sport."Mr Peacock said Ironman events were enjoying "an upward trend" in Britain and across the world, with the challenge "becoming more relatable and achievable for your everyday person".However, he said: "It does take a lot of hard work, a lot of training, a lot of commitment and a lot of sacrifice to get to the stage where you can complete an endurance event of this nature." A total of 2,430 people will take part in the event, including 352 youngest competitor will be 18, with the oldest aged 78. The average age of those taking part is just over 39, organisers said."There's a lot of variety in abilities of people taking part and we hope we are going to get all of them across the finish line," said Mr event - the only full Ironman triathlon in England this year - will begin at 06:00 BST. After athletes finish an open-water swim in Waterloo Lake, they will then complete a three-loop cycle route that runs through or near Shadwell, Thorner, Bardsey, Wike, Harewood, Eccup, Arthington, Adel and will then head back to the park for the marathon, which consists of four laps around the site and its surrounding streets. Road closures A number of road closures will be on place for the cycle event and include:Carr Lane between Shadwell and Thorner (closed 06:00 to 15:30)Bramham Road and part of Thorner Road, both to the east of Thorner (closed 06:00 to 15:30)The A61 Harrogate Road between the A659 at Harewood and Wike Lane (closed 07:00 to 16:30)The A61 Harrogate Road between Wike Lane and Wigton Approach, near the Grammar School at Leeds (closed 07:00 to 17:30)Alwoodley Lane between its junctions with King Lane and the A61 Harrogate Road (closed eastbound 07:30 to 17:30)Road closures in Roundhay for much of Sunday include North Park Grove, Gledhow Avenue, Jackson Avenue, Old Park Road and the stretch of Street Lane between Devonshire Avenue and Princes Avenue. Park Avenue will be closed near the Lakeside Cafe from 06:00 on Saturday until 17:00 on are expected to start crossing the finishing line – located near the park's cricket pavilion – from around 14:00. 'Special' event Athletes from as far as the US and the United Arab Emirates will be among those on the start line, with more than half of them taking part in their first race will be much closer to home for 21-year-old Sam Hollis, from Moortown."It's quite a special thing to be able to do it on your doorstep," said the teaching assistant."When we were kids all we did was go around Roundhay Park. Everywhere we are racing is somewhere relevant to me."Mr Hollis, who has been training since November, said he was inspired to take up triathlon after watching the Brownlee brothers win two medals at the London 2012 is also using the biggest physical challenge of his life to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association in memory of his grandmother Barbara, who died with the illness in 2003 aged her birthday falls on Sunday."It's nice to do something in her memory," said Mr Hollis, who cycled to Birmingham and back to visit his girlfriend on several occasions as part of his training."I'm looking forward to it and excited to get it done now." Euan Holwill will also be on the start line, although the 24-year-old medical student from Cookridge admitted he wasn't looking forward to the first challenge of the day - a 03:00 alarm."I have been going 100 times a day between being really excited and existential dread," he said of the race."The sensible part of me is going: 'You have trained for seven or eight months and you are ready'."Then the other part of me is going: 'This is a stupid thing to do, it's going to hurt so much'."This is going to be the hardest event I have ever done. It's going to be a massive challenge." For 29-year-old wealth manager Ryan McCarthy, his biggest challenge has been fitting in training."You have to remember that it's a hobby at the end of the day," said Mr McCarthy, who wanted to complete his first full Ironman in the city he fell in love with as a student from 2014 to Londoner's busy schedule means training has sometimes consisted of late-night sessions on an exercise bike at home and 05:00 starts before taking on an Ironman in a city close to his heart was a "no-brainer".Having given up drinking as part of his preparations, he said he was looking forward to enjoying a few beers after the event and devoting more time to his fiancé Hannah and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - and Mr McCarthy's occasional running companion - Maisie. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
