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According to skipper George Williams, England were handed a stark "sobering lesson" as the Kangaroos won the Rugby League Ashes.

Australia's 14-4 triumph at the Merseyside venue on the weekend gave them a commanding series edge, making the upcoming Headingley encounter a meaningless fixture.

The England team had come into the series holding aspirations of sending the Kangaroos to their initial series loss since over five decades ago.

In the past two years, they had secured a dominant victory over the Tongan side and a 2-0 triumph over the Samoan team. But as the prestigious competition returned after a 22-year absence, the English were failed to advance further against the reigning title holders.

"No excuses from us. We've had enough sessions to execute properly on the field, and I don't think we've managed that," the captain told.

"Credit to Australia. They were good in defense. But we've got a lot to improve. We're probably not as good as we believed we were entering this series.

"This serves as a necessary lesson for us, and there is much to develop."

Australia 'Show Up and Prove Clinical'

Having been soundly beaten in an error-strewn display at Wembley, Wane side's were significantly better on Saturday back in the core regions of England's north.

During an energetic initial stages, England forced mistakes from the Kangaroos and had superior positioning and ball control, but crucially did not make it count on the scoreboard.

Notably, the English team have now scored just a single touchdown over 160 minutes, with player Daryl Clark scoring late on in the defeat in the capital.

Conversely, Australia have racked up six so far - and when errors began to creep into the England's play just after the break, it was a case of inevitability, they were going to be heavily penalized.

First Cameron Munster scored, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being level at four-all, England were 10 points adrift.

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

"The drop in intensity for 10 minutes after half-time damaged us greatly. The first try was soft and should not be scored in a top-level game.

"We're heartbroken. So proud the squad had a go but so disappointed with that post-interval, which hurt us dearly."

Although the upcoming global tournament in the Southern Hemisphere is just under 12 months away, England's immediate focus will be on attempting to regain respect, avoiding a 3-0 sweep and eradicating the errors that frustrated Wane.

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

"We did this week. It's just a bit of detail in our offensive play where we could have put them under more pressure. We need to stop each of [tries] better.

"Fair play to Australia - that is no detriment to them. They arrive 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 all three Tests and we need to be obsessed to make it a competitive series. I've said that to the players. It has to be our primary goal. It will be a challenging week but whoever strives for it the greatest will get the win next week."

Competitive Edge Needs to Elevate in Domestic Competition

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

However Wane thinks that the caliber of the NRL - and standard of the State of Origin matches between New South Wales and Queensland - provide a much better preparation for competing at the top of the international game than what is on offer in the UK.

Wane commented that the congested Super League fixture schedule left little opportunity for him to work with his team during the campaign, which will only pose more issues around how England can close the divide to Australia before travelling to the Southern Hemisphere in 2026.

"They participate in a large number of internationals in their competition," Wane stated.

"England have 10-15 a year. It's crucial really intense games to enhance the domestic league and increase our prospects of winning these high-stakes fixtures.

"It was impossible to even practice with the squad. There was no chance to trained together in the season and despite having the full backing of everyone in Super League.

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