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As stated by leader the England captain, England were given a stark "reality check" as the Kangaroos won the Rugby League Ashes.

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

The national squad had entered the series harbouring hopes of inflicting Australia to their first Ashes series defeat since 1970.

Recently, they had secured a clean sweep over the Tongan side and a series win over the Samoan team. But as the prestigious competition returned after a long break, England were failed to take the next step against the top-ranked team.

"No excuses from us. There were enough preparations to perform correctly on the pitch, and I don't think we've quite done that," the captain commented.

"Full marks to the Kangaroos. They were excellent in defense. But there's a lot to improve. It seems not as good as we expected we were entering this series.

"This serves as a necessary lesson for us, and we have plenty to develop."

The Kangaroos 'Arrive and Are Ruthless'

After being comprehensively defeated in an sloppy showing at the national stadium, Wane side's were markedly enhanced on Saturday back in the rugby league heartlands of England's north.

In an inspiring first half, the home side caused turnovers from the Australians and had superior positioning and ball control, but importantly did not capitalize on the scoreboard.

Tellingly, England have now scored just one score over the series so far, with St Helens hooker the forward barging over late on in the loss in the capital.

In contrast, Australia have racked up half a dozen in two games - and when errors began to affect the England's play just after the break, it was a case of inevitability, they were going to be made to pay.

First Cameron Munster scored, and then so too did the forward. From being tied at four-all, the home side were trailing by 10.

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

"The lapse for a brief period after the break hurt us greatly. The first try was soft and should not be scored in a international fixture.

"The team is deeply disappointed. So proud the players had a fight but very frustrated with that post-interval, which hurt us heavily."

While the upcoming global tournament in the Southern Hemisphere is just under next year, England's immediate focus will be on trying to salvage honor, avoiding a 3-0 sweep and addressing the issues that irritated Wane.

"I hoped to see additional intensity thrown at the opposition. My aim was us to apply sustained attack in the game - we failed to deliver last week," added the veteran coach.

"We did this week. The issue is a bit of detail in our attack where we could have put them under more pressure. It's essential to defend both [tries] with greater resolve.

"Fair play to the Kangaroos - that is no detriment to them. They perform and are clinical when they seize opportunities, and we weren't, but defensively we must do improve.

"The Australians will be determined to win 3-0 and we need to be obsessed to make it 2-1. I've said that to the squad. This must become our main aim. 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

The English side have played a similar number of Test matches to Australia since the last World Cup in recent years.

Yet Wane thinks that the caliber of the Australian league - and quality of the domestic rivalry matches between New South Wales and QLD - deliver a more effective preparation for performing at the highest level of the international game than what is on offer in the UK.

Wane added that the congested Super League fixture schedule left no time for him to train his team during the campaign, which will only pose more issues around how England can bridge the gap to Australia before heading to the Southern Hemisphere in 2026.

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

"England have 10-15 a year. It's crucial highly competitive games to boost the competition and increase our chances of succeeding in these high-stakes fixtures.

"I couldn't even practice with the squad. We never got on the field in the season and despite having the complete support of everyone in Super League.

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