The Kangaroos Overcome England to Secure the Rugby League Ashes
According to skipper George Williams, the national team were delivered a brutal "reality check" as Australia clinched the Rugby League Ashes.
The Kangaroos' 14-4 victory at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday gave them a commanding series edge, making the upcoming sold-out third Test a academic contest.
Shaun Wane's side had come into the series holding aspirations of sending Australia to their initial series loss since the 1970s.
Over the last 24 months, they had enjoyed a 3-0 series win over the Tongan side and a 2-0 triumph over Samoa. But as the Rugby League Ashes returned after a two-decade hiatus, England were unable to make the leap against the reigning title holders.
"No excuses from us. There were enough training periods to execute properly on the pitch, and I don't think we've achieved that," the captain stated.
"Credit to Australia. They were excellent in defense. But we've got loads to address. It seems not as good as we thought we were entering this series.
"This serves as a valuable reality check for us, and [there is] loads to improve on."
The Kangaroos 'Arrive and Prove Ruthless'
The Kangaroos registered two tries in a short burst during the latter stage of the recent encounter
Having been heavily outplayed in an sloppy showing at the national stadium, England's were much improved on Saturday back in the rugby league heartlands of northern England.
During an energetic first half, the home side forced mistakes from the Kangaroos and had dominant territory and possession, but unfortunately did not convert opportunities on the points tally.
Significantly, England have now managed just one score over 160 minutes, with player Daryl Clark scoring late on in the loss in London.
On the other hand, Australia have racked up half a dozen across the series - and when blunders began to affect the hosts' play just after the interval, it was a case of certainty, they were going to be heavily penalized.
First Cameron Munster crossed, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being level at 4-4, the home side were 10 points adrift.
"Satisfied for the bulk of the game. In my view for most of the match we were good," said the coach.
"The switch off for 10 minutes after half-time hurt us immensely. The first try was avoidable and should never happen in a international fixture.
"The team is devastated. Extremely pleased the players had a dig but so disappointed with that after half-time, which hurt us dearly."
While the next World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea is just under 12 months away, the team's immediate focus will be on attempting to restore some pride, preventing a 3-0 sweep and eradicating the issues that frustrated the coach.
"I hoped to see greater effort thrown at Australia. My aim was us to maintain momentum in the game - we didn't do that last week," added the 61-year-old.
"We did this week. It's just a minor refinements in our offense where we could have put them under increased strain. We need to defend both [tries] with greater resolve.
"Credit to the Kangaroos - that is no detriment to them. They turn up and are clinical when they seize opportunities, and we failed to be, but in defense we can and should do enhance.
"The Australians will be determined to win 3-0 and we need to be obsessed to make it 2-1. I've told that to the players. This must become our main aim. It will be a challenging week but the side that strives for it the most will emerge victorious next week."
Intensity Must to Elevate in Domestic Competition
The English side have played a similar number of international fixtures to Australia since the previous global tournament in recent years.
However Wane thinks that the caliber of the NRL - and level of the domestic rivalry matches between NSW and QLD - provide a much better preparation for competing at the highest level of the global stage than what is on offer in the UK.
The England coach added that the hectic domestic league fixture schedule allowed little opportunity for him to work with his team during the campaign, which will only raise more issues around how the national team can close the divide to Australia before heading to the Southern Hemisphere in 2026.
"They participate in a large number of internationals in their league," Wane remarked.
"England have ten to fifteen a year. It's crucial highly competitive games to improve the domestic league and increase our chances of succeeding in these types of matches.
"It was impossible to even practice with the squad. There was no chance to trained together in the campaign and I had the total cooperation of everyone in the domestic competition.
"I have also been in the shoes of the club managers that need to win games. The competition is that tight. It's a pity but that's not the reason we got beaten today."
