🔗 Share this article

According to skipper the England captain, England were given a harsh "wake-up call" as the Kangaroos secured the prestigious series.

Australia's 14-4 victory at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday gave them a unassailable 2-0 advantage, making the upcoming sold-out third Test a meaningless fixture.

Shaun Wane's side had come into the series harbouring hopes of inflicting Australia to their maiden Ashes setback since 1970.

Recently, they had secured a clean sweep over the Tongan side and a series win over Samoa. But as the historic rivalry resumed after a two-decade hiatus, England were failed to make the leap against the world champions.

"We're not making excuses. There were enough preparations to perform correctly on the field, and I don't think we've quite done that," Williams told.

"Full marks to the Kangaroos. They proved good in defense. But we've got loads to improve. We're probably not as prepared as we thought we were going into this series.

"This serves as a good reality check for us, and there is much to improve on."

The Kangaroos 'Show Up and Are Merciless'

Having been heavily outplayed in an error-strewn display at the national stadium, England's were significantly better on Saturday back in the traditional strongholds of England's north.

In an inspiring first half, the home side elicited errors from the Australians and had all the field position and possession, but importantly did not make it count on the scoreboard.

Notably, the English team have now scored just a single touchdown over 160 minutes, with player the forward scoring late on in the loss in London.

In contrast, Australia have scored half a dozen across the series - and when errors began to appear in the England's play just after the half-time, it was a case of certainty, they were going to be heavily penalized.

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

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

"The switch off for a brief period after half-time damaged us immensely. The first try was soft and should not be scored in a Test match.

"The team is heartbroken. Extremely pleased the players had a fight but very frustrated with that second-half lapse, which proved costly dearly."

While the upcoming global tournament in the Southern Hemisphere is just under 12 months away, England's immediate focus will be on attempting to restore some pride, preventing a 3-0 sweep and eliminating the errors that annoyed Wane.

"I wanted to see greater effort directed toward Australia. I wanted us to maintain momentum in the game - we fell short last week," added the 61-year-old.

"We managed this week. The issue is a minor refinements in our offensive play where we could have applied under increased strain. We need to defend both [tries] better.

"Credit to the Kangaroos - that is no slight to them. They perform and are ruthless when they get a chance, and we failed to be, but in defense we must do improve.

"They will be determined to win all three Tests and we need to be obsessed to make it a respectable scoreline. I've told that to the squad. This must become our obsession. It's going to be a difficult week but the side that strives for it the most will secure victory next week."

Competitive Edge Needs to Increase in Domestic Competition

The English side have participated in a comparable number of Test matches to the Kangaroos since the last World Cup in 2022.

However the coach thinks that the caliber of the NRL - and level of the domestic rivalry matches between New South Wales and QLD - offer a much better foundation for competing at the highest level of the international game than what is on offer in the UK.

The England coach commented that the congested Super League fixture schedule allowed no time for him to coach his players during the campaign, which will only raise additional concerns around how England can bridge the gap to the Kangaroos before heading to Oceania in 2026.

"They play a large number of Test matches in their league," Wane stated.

"England play ten to fifteen a year. It's crucial really intense games to improve the competition and improve our chances of succeeding in these sorts of games.

"I couldn't even train with the players. We never got on the field in the campaign and despite having the total cooperation of everyone in the domestic competition.

"I have also been in the position of the club managers that need to win games. The competition is that packed. It's a pity but it's not the cause we lost today."