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According to captain George Williams, the national team were given a brutal "sobering lesson" as the Kangaroos won the Rugby League Ashes.

Australia's decisive 14-4 win at the stadium in Liverpool on the weekend gave them a 2-0 series lead, making next week's sold-out third Test a dead rubber.

The national squad had entered the series holding aspirations of sending Australia to their first Ashes series defeat since the 1970s.

In the past two years, they had secured a clean sweep over Tonga and a series win over Samoa. But as the prestigious competition resumed after a two-decade hiatus, England were unable to advance further against the reigning title holders.

"We take full responsibility. We've had enough sessions to execute properly on the pitch, and it's clear we've managed that," the captain commented.

"Credit to Australia. They proved strong in defense. But we've got a lot to address. It seems not as strong as we thought we were going into this series.

"This serves as a valuable reality check for us, and there is much to develop."

Australia 'Arrive and Are Ruthless'

Having been comprehensively defeated in an error-strewn display at Wembley, Wane side's were significantly better on the weekend back in the core regions of northern England.

During an energetic initial stages, England caused turnovers from the Australians and had dominant territory and possession, but unfortunately did not capitalize on the scoreboard.

Tellingly, the English team have now managed just a single touchdown over two full matches, with St Helens hooker Daryl Clark scoring late on in the setback in the capital.

Conversely, the Kangaroos have racked up half a dozen across the series - and when blunders began to appear in the England's play just after the break, it was a case of inevitability, they were going to be severely punished.

First the playmaker scored, and then so too did the forward. From being level at 4-4, England were down by double digits.

"Proud for the bulk of the game. In my view for most of the match we were solid," said Wane.

"The drop in intensity for 10 minutes after half-time damaged us greatly. The first try was easy and should never happen in a international fixture.

"We're deeply disappointed. Extremely pleased the squad had a fight but so disappointed with that after half-time, which cost us significantly."

While the upcoming global tournament in Australia and Papua New Guinea is just under next year, the team's immediate focus will be on attempting to regain respect, avoiding a 3-0 sweep and addressing the errors that annoyed the coach.

"I hoped to see additional intensity thrown at the opposition. I wanted us to apply sustained attack in the game - we didn't do that last week," added the veteran coach.

"We managed this week. The issue is a lack of precision in our attack where we could have put them under more pressure. We need to stop each of [tries] better.

"Credit to the Kangaroos - that is no slight to them. They turn up and are merciless when they capitalize, and we weren't, but in defense we must do enhance.

"They will be obsessed to win the series whitewash and we need to be just as focused to make it a respectable scoreline. I've said that to the players. It has to be our primary goal. It's going to be a tough week but the side that strives for it the most will emerge victorious next week."

Competitive Edge Must to Increase in Domestic Competition

England have participated in a similar number of international fixtures to Australia since the last World Cup in recent years.

However the coach thinks that the strength of the Australian league - and standard of the domestic rivalry matches between New South Wales and QLD - offer a more effective foundation for competing at the top of the global stage than what is on offer in the Europe.

The England coach noted that the hectic Super League calendar left little opportunity for him to coach his players during the campaign, which will only raise more issues around how the national team can bridge the gap to the Kangaroos before travelling to the Southern Hemisphere in 2026.

"The Australians participate in a lot of Test matches in their competition," he stated.

"England play 10-15 a year. It's crucial demanding games to enhance the competition and improve our prospects of winning these sorts of games.

"It was impossible to even practice with the players. There was no chance to got on the field in the campaign and I had the full backing of all clubs in Super League.

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