🔗 Share this article

In the words of skipper the England captain, England were given a brutal "sobering lesson" as the Kangaroos clinched the coveted Ashes trophy.

The Kangaroos' 14-4 victory at the Merseyside venue on Saturday gave them a unassailable 2-0 advantage, making next week's final match in Leeds a academic contest.

The national squad had entered the series dreaming of inflicting the Kangaroos to their initial series loss since the 1970s.

Over the last 24 months, they had achieved a dominant victory over the Tongan side and a 2-0 triumph over the Samoan team. But as the historic rivalry returned after a two-decade hiatus, the English were unable to advance further against the top-ranked team.

"No excuses from us. There were enough sessions to execute properly on the field, and it's clear we've managed that," the captain told.

"Australia deserve praise. They were good in defense. But we've got loads to improve. We're probably not as strong as we expected we were entering this series.

"This serves as a valuable reality check for us, and we have plenty to enhance."

The Kangaroos 'Arrive and Are Clinical'

After being heavily outplayed in an error-strewn display at Wembley, Wane side's were significantly better on the weekend back in the traditional strongholds of the North.

During an energetic first half, England forced mistakes from the Kangaroos and had dominant territory and ball control, but unfortunately did not capitalize on the points tally.

Notably, England have now scored just one try over the series so far, with St Helens hooker the forward powering through late on in the loss in London.

In contrast, Australia have scored half a dozen in two games - and when blunders began to creep into the England's play just after the break, it was a case of certainty, they were going to be severely punished.

Initially Cameron Munster scored, and then so too did the forward. From being level at 4-4, England were down by double digits.

"Proud for the bulk of the game. I thought for 70 minutes we were good," said the coach.

"The switch off for 10 minutes after half-time damaged us severely. The first try was easy and should never happen in a Test match.

"We're deeply disappointed. Extremely pleased the players had a dig but so disappointed with that post-interval, which hurt us heavily."

Although the next World Cup in the Southern Hemisphere is just under a year from now, England's short-term goal will be on trying to regain respect, avoiding a 3-0 sweep and addressing the errors that annoyed the coach.

"I wanted to see more directed toward Australia. My aim was us to maintain momentum in the game - we fell short last week," added the veteran coach.

"We managed this week. It's just a bit of detail in our attack where we could have put them under increased strain. It's essential to defend both [tries] with greater resolve.

"Credit to Australia - that is not a criticism to them. They perform and are merciless when they capitalize, and we weren't, but defensively we can and should do enhance.

"The Australians will be focused to win the series whitewash and we need to be obsessed to make it a competitive series. I've told that to the players. It has to be our obsession. It's going to be a challenging week but whoever strives for it the most will emerge victorious next week."

Intensity Must to Increase in Super League

England have participated in a comparable number of Test matches to the Kangaroos since the previous global tournament in recent years.

Yet the coach thinks that the strength of the Australian league - and quality of the State of Origin matches between NSW and QLD - deliver a much better preparation for performing at the highest level of the global stage than what is available in the northern hemisphere.

The England coach commented that the congested Super League fixture schedule left no time for him to work with his squad during the season, which will only pose further questions around how England can narrow the difference to the Kangaroos before heading to Oceania in 2026.

"The Australians participate in a lot of internationals in their league," Wane added.

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

"I couldn't even practice with the players. There was no chance to trained together in the campaign and I had the complete support of all clubs in Super League.

"I understand in the position of the head coaches that need to win games. The competition is that congested. It's a pity but that's not the cause we were defeated today."