England skipper Kyran Bracken leads his young team into battle for the final time on their North American tour on Saturday insisting they deserve to be lauded as world class in their own right.

Having picked up the winning trail left by the senior side with successive victories over Canada, another triumph over the United States at Balboa Park would see England set a new national record of 11 successive Test wins.

Although few of Saturday's line-up were part of the squad which started the run in South Africa 12 months ago, the rookies who have replaced the 19 absent Lions have adapted quickly.

Jamie Noon has been a revelation at inside centre, while Newcastle team-mate Michael Stephenson has proved critics who doubted his defending completely wrong.

Fly-half Dave Walder has emerged with credit after a below-par senior debut against the Barbarians three weeks ago, while in the pack Leicester duo Lewis Moody and Ben Kay - who will miss tomorrow's game with a knee injury - have put themselves on the fringes of a call-up for the Six Nations decider with Ireland on October 22.

Talk all week has been of a possible training ground encounter between the present England squad and the absent older hands.

But though that is unlikely to happen, Bracken feels due credit must be paid to his fledgling troops.

"This team is not far off being world class," insisted the Saracens scrum-half. "Maybe we are not there yet but we have only played three games together as a squad and we are still developing.

"We have come away from home and won two tough Test matches.

"People might say Canada are not the strongest side but we lost to them when I toured there in 1993 and the full England team only beat them by 20 points at Twickenham two years ago.

"I would be pretty disappointed if some of these guys weren't in the squad to play Ireland and my only regret about this whole tour is that I would have liked to play the Barbarians now rather than at the beginning.

"After just four days training we were within seven points of them near the end. With the extra preparation I am sure we would run them pretty close and their team included some of the finest players in the world."

Bracken and manager Clive Woodward have been keen to play down the significance of the new record, and emphasise that tomorrow's encounter will not be as comfortable as the statistics would suggest.

However, against a side defeated by Canada and Argentina last month, England are likely to face more problems from a TV-inspired lunchtime kick-off in 90 degree San Francisco temperatures than they are from their opponents.

In number eight Dan Lyle the States possess a true world class star and 20-year-old former wrestler turned prop Mike MacDonald has already been touted as the next American import likely to make it big in the Premiership.

But, having countered the physical threat of the Canadians with a much-improved display from the front-five last weekend, the enthusiastic but less technical American outfit should fall with minimum fuss.

That should allow Woodward to give teenage prodigy Olly Barkley his first taste of Test match action, with the Toms Voyce and Palmer also getting a late run.

"The competition for places has to be healthy for England," said Bracken. "People like Matt Catt and Will Greenwood need to know there are other players capable of coming into the side and taking their place.

"When I first came into the side there wasn't enough pressure being put on the established men. You can hardly say the same thing now. Olly Barkley is just the latest in a long list who have come through on this tour alone.

"I have no doubt he is ready to play at international level. He has already shown immense composure and when you talk to him you don't feel as though you are speaking to such a young man.

"The pleasing thing is that he can be brought on gently, just as Jonny Wilkinson was, and allowed to develop into the great player he has the potential to become."

Bath's United States star Dan Lyle hailed the Test as a chance for the sport to enhance its profile in the country.

said: "It is pretty significant for United States rugby. It is fantastic opportunity for us to try and develop the game because in terms of finance we are fighting a pretty unequal struggle.

"Things were better before rugby union went open. But the arrival of professionalism means the best countries are fitter and stronger than they once were.

"I am an American and I am proud to represent my country. Hopefully my presence can encourage others to follow what I have done."

Teams:

USA: K Shuman (New York); J Naqica (Denver), P Eloff (Chicago), J Grobler (Aspen), J Naivalu (San Jose); G Wells (Golden Gate), K Dalzell (Montferrand); M MacDonald, K Khasigian (Sacramento), P Still (Golden Gate), L Gross (Roma), P Farner (Roma), D Hodges (Llanelli, cpt), K Schubert (UC Berkeley), D Lyle (Bath).

Replacements: R Flynn (Golden Gate), A McGarry (Chicago), O Fifita (Hayward Old Blues), A Magleby (Silverdale, NZ), K Kjar (BYU), L Wilfley (Wests, Aus), M Timoteo (Hayward Old Blues).

England: J Lewsey (Wasps); L Lloyd (Leicester), F Waters (Wasps), J Noon (Newcastle), M Stephenson (Newcastle); D Walder (Newcastle), K Bracken (Saracens, cpt), G Rowntree (Leicester), D West (Leicester), J White (Saracens), S Shaw (Wasps), S Borthwick (Bath), S White-Cooper (Harlequins), L Moody (Leicester), J Worsley (Wasps).

Replacements: A Long (Bath), D Flatman (Saracens), T Palmer (Leeds), P Sanderson (Harlequins), M Wood (Wasps), O Barkley (Bath), T Voyce (Bath).

Referee: A Turner (South Africa).