🔗 Share this article

As stated by skipper the England captain, the national team were delivered a harsh "reality check" as the Kangaroos won the Rugby League Ashes.

The Kangaroos' 14-4 triumph at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium on the weekend gave them a 2-0 series lead, making the upcoming final match in Leeds a meaningless fixture.

Shaun Wane's side had entered the series dreaming of sending Australia to their initial series loss since the 1970s.

Over the last 24 months, they had enjoyed a clean sweep over Tonga and a series win over the Samoan team. But as the historic rivalry returned after a 22-year absence, the English were unable to advance further against the top-ranked team.

"We take full responsibility. We've had enough preparations to execute properly on the field, and it's clear we've achieved that," Williams stated.

"Full marks to the Kangaroos. They were strong defensively. But we've got plenty to improve. It seems not as prepared as we thought we were entering this series.

"So it's a necessary wake-up call for us, and [there is] loads to develop."

The Kangaroos 'Show Up and Prove Ruthless'

Having been heavily outplayed in an mistake-ridden performance at Wembley, Wane side's were markedly enhanced on Saturday back in the rugby league heartlands of England's north.

In an inspiring opening period, England elicited errors from the Kangaroos and had all the field position and ball control, but importantly did not convert opportunities on the points tally.

Tellingly, England have now scored just one try over the series so far, with St Helens hooker Daryl Clark powering through late on in the defeat in London.

Conversely, the Kangaroos have scored half a dozen across the series - and when mistakes began to affect the hosts' play just after the half-time, it was a case of when, not if, they were going to be heavily penalized.

Initially Cameron Munster crossed, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being tied at 4-4, England were down by double digits.

"Proud for the bulk of the game. In my view for 70 minutes we were competitive," said Wane.

"The switch off for a brief period after half-time cost us immensely. Munster's try was easy and should not be scored in a Test match.

"The team is devastated. Extremely pleased the squad had a fight but so disappointed with that second-half lapse, which proved costly dearly."

While the upcoming global tournament in Oceania is just under next year, the team's primary concern will be on trying to salvage honor, avoiding a 3-0 sweep and addressing the mistakes that annoyed the coach.

"I wanted to see more directed toward the opposition. My aim was us to apply sustained attack in the game - we fell short last week," added the 61-year-old.

"We managed this week. It's just a bit of detail in our offense where we could have applied under more pressure. We need to stop each of [tries] more effectively.

"Fair play to Australia - that is no detriment to them. They turn up and are merciless when they seize opportunities, and we failed to be, but in defense we must do improve.

"They will be focused to win the series whitewash and we need to be obsessed to make it a respectable scoreline. I've told that to the players. This must become our primary goal. It will be a tough week but whoever wants it the most will get the win next week."

Competitive Edge Must to Improve in Super League

England have participated in a similar number of Test matches to the Kangaroos since the previous global tournament in 2022.

However the coach thinks that the quality of the NRL - and quality of the domestic rivalry matches between New South Wales and Queensland - offer a much better foundation for performing at the top of the global stage than what is available in the UK.

The England coach commented that the congested Super League fixture schedule allowed no time for him to coach his squad during the campaign, which will only raise further questions around how the national team can close the divide to Australia before travelling to Oceania in 2026.

"They participate in a large number of internationals in their league," Wane stated.

"We have 10-15 a year. It's crucial highly competitive games to improve the domestic league and improve our prospects of succeeding in these types of matches.

"I couldn't even practice with the squad. We never got on the field in the campaign and despite having the complete support of everyone in Super League.

"I understand in the shoes of the club managers that must to win games. The league is that congested. It's a pity but that's not the cause we got beaten today."