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As stated by captain the England captain, England were given a stark "wake-up call" as the Kangaroos secured the coveted Ashes trophy.

Australia's 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.

Shaun Wane's side had entered the series holding aspirations of inflicting Australia to their first Ashes series defeat since over five decades ago.

In the past two years, they had enjoyed a 3-0 series win over the Tongan side and a series win over Samoa. But as the Rugby League Ashes resumed after a two-decade hiatus, England were unable to make the leap against the world champions.

"No excuses from us. There were enough preparations to execute properly on the field, and it's clear we've quite done that," the captain stated.

"Full marks to the Kangaroos. They were good in defense. But we've got loads to work on. We're probably not as prepared as we thought we were entering this series.

"So it's a necessary lesson for us, and there is much to enhance."

Australia 'Turn Up and Prove Clinical'

After being comprehensively defeated in an error-strewn display at Wembley, England's were markedly enhanced on Saturday back in the traditional strongholds of England's north.

In a rousing initial stages, England elicited errors from the Kangaroos and had dominant territory and ball control, but crucially did not convert opportunities on the scoreboard.

Notably, England have now managed just a single touchdown over 160 minutes, with player Daryl Clark powering through late on in the defeat in London.

On the other hand, the Kangaroos have accumulated six across the series - and when mistakes began to affect the England's play just after the interval, it was a case of certainty, they were going to be heavily penalized.

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

"Proud for the bulk of the game. I thought for most of the match we were competitive," said the coach.

"The switch off for a brief period after the break cost us immensely. The first try was soft and should not be scored in a top-level game.

"We're deeply disappointed. So proud the players had a go but so disappointed with that second-half lapse, which cost us dearly."

While the next World Cup in the Southern Hemisphere is just under 12 months away, England's immediate focus will be on attempting to restore some pride, avoiding a 3-0 sweep and eradicating the mistakes that frustrated the coach.

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

"We did this week. It's just a bit of detail in our attack where we could have applied under greater stress. It's essential to defend both [tries] with greater resolve.

"Credit to Australia - that is no slight to them. They perform and are ruthless when they get a chance, and we weren't, but defensively we must do improve.

"The Australians will be determined to win the series whitewash and we need to be equally determined to make it 2-1. I've said that to the players. It has to be our primary goal. It's going to be a challenging week but the side that desires it the most will secure victory next week."

Intensity Must to Elevate in Domestic Competition

England have participated in a comparable number of Test matches to the Kangaroos since the last World Cup in 2022.

Yet the coach thinks that the caliber of the NRL - and level of the domestic rivalry matches between New South Wales and Queensland - deliver a superior preparation for competing at the highest level of the global stage than what is available in the Europe.

Wane added that the congested Super League fixture list allowed no time for him to coach his team during the campaign, which will only pose further questions around how England can close the divide to Australia before travelling to the Southern Hemisphere in the next World Cup.

"The Australians play a large number of internationals in their competition," he added.

"England play ten to fifteen a year. It's crucial highly competitive games to improve the domestic league and improve our chances of succeeding in these sorts of games.

"I couldn't even train with the squad. There was no chance to trained together in the season and despite having the complete support of all clubs in the domestic competition.

"I understand in the boots of the club managers that need to win games. The league is that congested. It's a pity but that's not the reason we lost today."