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According to skipper George Williams, England were handed a harsh "sobering lesson" as Australia clinched the Rugby League Ashes.

The Kangaroos' 14-4 victory at the stadium in Liverpool on the weekend gave them a commanding series edge, making next week's sold-out third Test a meaningless fixture.

The national squad had come into the series dreaming of inflicting the Kangaroos to their initial series loss since over five decades ago.

Recently, they had achieved a dominant victory over the Tongan side and a series win over Samoa. But as the prestigious competition resumed after a two-decade hiatus, the English were failed to make the leap against the world champions.

"No excuses from us. There were enough sessions to execute properly on the field, and I don't think we've quite done that," Williams stated.

"Full marks to the Kangaroos. They were good in defense. But we've got plenty to improve. We're probably not as strong as we expected we were entering this series.

"This serves as a necessary lesson for us, and [there is] loads to enhance."

Australia 'Show Up and Are Clinical'

After being soundly beaten in an mistake-ridden performance at the national stadium, Wane side's were markedly enhanced on the weekend back in the core regions of the North.

During an energetic initial stages, the home side elicited errors from the Kangaroos and had superior positioning and ball control, but unfortunately did not convert opportunities on the points tally.

Tellingly, the English team have now managed just a single touchdown over 160 minutes, with player Daryl Clark scoring late on in the defeat in London.

Conversely, Australia have racked up half a dozen so far - and when errors began to creep into the hosts' play just after the half-time, it was a case of when, not if, they were going to be made to pay.

Initially Cameron Munster went over, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being tied 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 good," said the coach.

"The lapse for a brief period after the break cost us immensely. Munster's try was easy and should not be scored in a Test match.

"We're deeply disappointed. So proud the squad had a fight but so disappointed with that post-interval, which cost us dearly."

While the upcoming global tournament in Australia and Papua New Guinea is just under a year from now, England's short-term goal will be on attempting to restore some pride, avoiding a clean sweep and addressing the mistakes that irritated Wane.

"I wanted to see greater effort directed toward the opposition. I wanted us to apply sustained attack in the game - we fell short last week," added the veteran coach.

"We did this week. It's just a lack of precision in our offensive play where we could have applied under greater stress. It's essential to stop each of [tries] with greater resolve.

"Fair play to the Kangaroos - that is no slight to them. They arrive and are clinical when they capitalize, and we weren't, but in defense we can and should do improve.

"They will be focused to win 3-0 and we need to be obsessed to make it a respectable scoreline. I've told that to the squad. This must become our primary goal. It's going to be a challenging week but whoever strives for it the most will emerge victorious next week."

Intensity Must to Elevate in Domestic Competition

The English side have played a comparable number of international fixtures to the Kangaroos since the last World Cup in 2022.

Yet Wane argues that the caliber of the NRL - and level of the domestic rivalry matches between New South Wales and QLD - deliver a superior foundation for performing at the top of the global stage than what is on offer in the UK.

Wane commented that the hectic Super League calendar allowed little opportunity for him to train his players during the campaign, which will only raise further questions around how England can close the divide to Australia before travelling to the Southern Hemisphere in the next World Cup.

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

"We have 10-15 a year. We need really intense games to enhance the competition and improve our chances of succeeding in these types of matches.

"I couldn't even train 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 understand in the shoes of the club managers that need to win games. The competition is that tight. It's a pity but that's not the cause we got beaten today."