United States captain Todd Clever has admitted that he was "very nervous" during his side's narrow Pool C victory over World Cup debutants Russia.
Clever's side eventually ran out 13-6 winners in New Plymouth.
"I was very nervous. They are a tough team and they are improving, every time we play them they are getting better and better. I am just so proud of the guys that we were able to finish that," Clever told ITV.
"It's an awesome feeling [to win]. I am proud of the boys for sticking through. We made it tough on ourselves but the crowd got us through.
"Mentally we were there but physically we were a little slow off the cuff, but we have a break before our next game so hopefully we can be back to 100%."
The States next face Australia in Wellington on Friday, September 23 and Clever is looking forward to facing the Wallabies.
"That will be a tough game and we are looking forward to a tough challenge against the big names. We want to improve every game and we look forward to that."
