🔗 Share this article

As stated by leader the England captain, England were given a harsh "reality check" as the Kangaroos clinched the coveted Ashes trophy.

Australia's 14-4 triumph at the stadium in Liverpool on the weekend gave them a unassailable 2-0 advantage, making the upcoming final match in Leeds a academic contest.

The national squad had entered the series holding aspirations of inflicting the Kangaroos to their maiden Ashes setback since the 1970s.

Over the last 24 months, they had achieved a dominant victory over Tonga and a success over Samoa. But as the Rugby League Ashes resumed after a long break, the English were unable to take the next step against the world champions.

"We're not making excuses. We've had enough preparations to execute properly on the pitch, and it's clear we've achieved that," Williams commented.

"Credit to Australia. They proved strong in defense. But we've got plenty to address. It seems not as prepared as we expected we were going into this series.

"So it's a good reality check for us, and [there is] loads to develop."

The Kangaroos 'Show Up and Are Clinical'

After being heavily outplayed in an mistake-ridden performance at the national stadium, England's were much improved on Saturday back in the traditional strongholds of the North.

In an inspiring opening period, the home side forced mistakes from the Kangaroos and had all the field position and possession, but importantly did not make it count on the scoreboard.

Tellingly, the English team have now scored just one score over the series so far, with player the forward scoring late on in the defeat in London.

Conversely, the Kangaroos have racked up six across the series - and when mistakes began to affect the England's play just after the break, it was a case of certainty, they were going to be made to pay.

Initially Cameron Munster scored, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being tied at 4-4, the home side were 10 points adrift.

"Proud for the majority of the game. I thought for most of the match we were solid," said the coach.

"The switch off for a brief period after half-time hurt us severely. Munster's try was soft and should never happen in a Test match.

"The team is deeply disappointed. So proud the squad had a dig but so disappointed with that after half-time, which cost us significantly."

Although the next World Cup in Oceania is just under a year from now, England's immediate focus will be on attempting to regain respect, avoiding a clean sweep and eliminating the errors that annoyed the coach.

"I wanted to see more directed toward Australia. I wanted us to maintain momentum in the game - we failed to deliver last week," added the 61-year-old.

"We managed this week. It's just a lack of precision in our offensive play where we could have applied under more pressure. It's essential to defend both [tries] more effectively.

"Credit to Australia - that is no detriment to them. They arrive and are clinical when they seize opportunities, and we weren't, but in defense we must do better.

"They will be determined to win all three Tests and we need to be just as focused to make it 2-1. I've said that to the squad. This must become our obsession. It's going to be a difficult week but the side that wants it the most will get the win next week."

Competitive Edge Needs to Improve in Domestic Competition

England have participated in a comparable number of international fixtures to the Kangaroos since the last World Cup in recent years.

Yet Wane believes that the caliber of the Australian league - and standard of the domestic rivalry matches between New South Wales and Queensland - deliver a superior foundation for competing at the top of the international game than what is available in the northern hemisphere.

Wane commented that the hectic domestic league calendar left little opportunity for him to work with his squad during the campaign, which will only raise further questions around how England can close the divide to the Kangaroos before travelling to Oceania in the next World Cup.

"The Australians participate in a large number of internationals in their competition," he remarked.

"England have 10-15 a year. We need really intense games to improve the domestic league and boost our prospects of succeeding in these types of matches.

"It was impossible to even train with the players. There was no chance to got on the field in the season and despite having the complete support of all clubs in the domestic competition.

"I understand in the boots of the head coaches that need to win games. The competition is that tight. It's unfortunate but that's not the reason we were defeated today."