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According to leader the England captain, England were handed a brutal "sobering lesson" as the Kangaroos clinched the Rugby League Ashes.

The Kangaroos' 14-4 triumph at the stadium in Liverpool on the weekend gave them a 2-0 series lead, making the upcoming final match in Leeds a academic contest.

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

Recently, they had secured a 3-0 series win over Tonga and a series win over Samoa. But as the prestigious competition resumed after a 22-year absence, the English were failed to take the next step against the top-ranked team.

"We're not making excuses. We've had enough training periods to get it right on the field, and I don't think we've quite done that," Williams stated.

"Full marks to the Kangaroos. They proved good defensively. But there's loads to address. We're probably not as strong as we expected we were entering this series.

"This serves as a good wake-up call for us, and we have plenty to develop."

Australia 'Turn Up and Are Clinical'

After being heavily outplayed in an sloppy showing at the national stadium, England's were markedly enhanced on the weekend back in the core regions of the North.

In a rousing opening period, England elicited errors from the Australians and had superior positioning and possession, but crucially did not capitalize on the scoreboard.

Tellingly, England have now scored just one try over 160 minutes, with player Daryl Clark barging over late on in the defeat in London.

In contrast, Australia have racked up six in two games - and when blunders began to creep into the hosts' play just after the break, it was a case of inevitability, they were going to be severely punished.

Initially Cameron Munster crossed, and then so too did the forward. From being tied at four-all, the home side were down by double digits.

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

"The drop in intensity for a brief period after the break damaged us greatly. Munster's try was soft and should never happen in a top-level game.

"The team is heartbroken. Extremely pleased the squad had a dig but very frustrated with that post-interval, which proved costly heavily."

Although the upcoming global tournament in Oceania is just under a year from now, England's immediate focus will be on trying to salvage honor, preventing a 3-0 sweep and eradicating the mistakes that irritated the coach.

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

"We did this week. It's just a lack of precision in our attack where we could have applied under increased strain. It's essential to stop each of [tries] better.

"Fair play to the Kangaroos - that is no slight to them. They turn up and are ruthless when they seize opportunities, and we failed to be, but defensively we can and should do enhance.

"They will be determined to win 3-0 and we need to be just as focused to make it 2-1. I've told that to the players. It has to be our obsession. It will be a tough week but whoever wants it the most will get the win next week."

Competitive Edge Needs to Increase in Domestic Competition

England have participated in a similar number of Test matches to the Kangaroos since the last World Cup in 2022.

Yet the coach argues that the strength of the Australian league - and level of the domestic rivalry matches between New South Wales and Queensland - deliver a much better grounding for performing at the highest level of the international game than what is on offer in the northern hemisphere.

Wane commented that the hectic Super League fixture list allowed little opportunity for him to work with his players during the season, which will only raise additional concerns around how England can bridge the gap to Australia before heading to the Southern Hemisphere in the next World Cup.

"The Australians participate in a large number of internationals in their league," Wane remarked.

"We play 10-15 a year. It's crucial demanding games to enhance the domestic league and improve our chances of succeeding in these sorts of games.

"I couldn't even practice with the squad. We never trained together in the campaign and despite having the full backing of all clubs in the domestic competition.

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