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As stated by skipper George Williams, the national team were delivered a brutal "wake-up call" as the Kangaroos clinched the prestigious series.

The Kangaroos' decisive 14-4 win at the Merseyside venue on the weekend gave them a commanding series edge, making the upcoming Headingley encounter a meaningless fixture.

The national squad had come into the series holding aspirations of sending the Kangaroos to their first Ashes series defeat since over five decades ago.

Recently, they had secured a clean sweep over the Tongan side and a 2-0 triumph over Samoa. But as the Rugby League Ashes resumed after a 22-year absence, England were failed to advance further against the world champions.

"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," the captain stated.

"Credit to Australia. They were strong in defense. But there's loads to address. It seems not as good as we expected we were going into this series.

"So it's a necessary reality check for us, and we have plenty to develop."

The Kangaroos 'Arrive and Are Merciless'

After being soundly beaten in an error-strewn display at the national stadium, England's were significantly better on Saturday back in the core regions of England's north.

In a rousing initial stages, England elicited errors from the Kangaroos and had dominant territory and possession, but crucially did not make it count on the scoreboard.

Significantly, England have now scored just one try over the series so far, with player Daryl Clark powering through late on in the defeat in the capital.

On the other hand, the Kangaroos have scored six so far - and when blunders began to appear in the hosts' play just after the break, it was a case of certainty, they were going to be heavily penalized.

First the playmaker scored, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being tied 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 lapse for a brief period after half-time hurt us severely. Munster's try was soft and should never happen in a Test match.

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

Although the next World Cup in the Southern Hemisphere is just under next year, the team's immediate focus will be on attempting to regain respect, avoiding a clean sweep and eradicating the issues that frustrated Wane.

"I wanted to see more thrown at the opposition. I wanted us to build pressure in the game - we didn't do that last week," added the 61-year-old.

"We managed 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] with greater resolve.

"Credit to Australia - that is not a criticism to them. They turn up and are merciless when they get a chance, and we weren't, but in defense we can and should do enhance.

"The Australians will be determined to win the series whitewash and we need to be equally determined to make it a competitive series. I've said that to the squad. It has to be our obsession. It's going to be a difficult week but the side that desires it the greatest will get the win next week."

Intensity Must to Improve in Domestic Competition

The English side have played a similar number of international fixtures to Australia since the previous global tournament in 2022.

Yet the coach argues that the caliber of the NRL - and standard of the domestic rivalry matches between New South Wales and QLD - offer a more effective preparation for performing at the top of the international game than what is on offer in the Europe.

Wane commented that the congested Super League calendar allowed no time for him to train his team during the campaign, which will only pose additional concerns around how the national team can close the divide to Australia before heading to Oceania in the next World Cup.

"They participate in a large number of Test matches in their league," he stated.

"England play ten to fifteen a year. It's crucial demanding games to boost the domestic league and boost our prospects of winning these high-stakes fixtures.

"I couldn't even train with the squad. There was no chance to got on the field in the campaign and I had the total cooperation of all clubs in Super League.

"I understand in the shoes of the head coaches that need to win games. The competition is that packed. It's a pity but it's not the cause we lost today."