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According to skipper the England captain, the national team were delivered a harsh "sobering lesson" as the Kangaroos clinched the prestigious series.

Australia's decisive 14-4 win at the Merseyside venue on the weekend gave them a 2-0 series lead, making the upcoming sold-out third Test a academic contest.

Shaun Wane's side had come into the series dreaming of inflicting the Kangaroos to their maiden Ashes setback since 1970.

In the past two years, they had enjoyed a 3-0 series win over Tonga and a 2-0 triumph over the Samoan team. But as the prestigious competition resumed after a long break, the English were failed to take the next step against the reigning title holders.

"No excuses from us. There were enough sessions to get it right on the pitch, and it's clear we've quite done that," the captain stated.

"Full marks to the Kangaroos. They proved strong defensively. But we've got loads to work on. We're probably not as strong as we expected we were going into this series.

"This serves as a good reality check for us, and [there is] loads to improve on."

The Kangaroos 'Arrive and Are Clinical'

Having been soundly beaten in an sloppy showing at the national stadium, Wane side's were much improved on the weekend back in the core regions of England's north.

In an inspiring opening period, the home side elicited errors from the Kangaroos and had all the field position and ball control, but crucially did not make it count on the points tally.

Tellingly, England have now managed just a single touchdown over the series so far, with player the forward scoring late on in the setback in London.

On the other hand, the Kangaroos have accumulated six 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 heavily penalized.

Initially Cameron Munster went over, and then so too did the forward. From being level at 4-4, the home side were 10 points adrift.

"Proud for the majority of the game. In my view for 70 minutes we were solid," said the coach.

"The switch off for a brief period after half-time hurt us immensely. Munster's try was easy and should never happen in a international fixture.

"The team is heartbroken. Extremely pleased the squad had a fight but very frustrated with that second-half lapse, which proved costly significantly."

Although the next World Cup in Oceania is just under 12 months away, the team's short-term goal will be on trying to regain respect, avoiding a series whitewash and eradicating the issues that irritated Wane.

"I hoped to see greater effort thrown at Australia. I wanted us to build pressure in the game - we fell short last week," added the veteran coach.

"We managed this week. It's just a minor refinements in our offensive play where we could have put them under greater stress. We need to defend both [tries] with greater resolve.

"Fair play to Australia - that is not a criticism to them. They perform and are clinical when they get a chance, and we failed to be, but defensively we can and should do improve.

"The Australians will be obsessed to win the series whitewash and we need to be equally determined to make it a competitive series. I've told that to the players. This must become our primary goal. It's going to be a tough week but whoever wants it the greatest will secure victory next week."

Intensity Must to Improve in Domestic Competition

England have participated in a similar number of international fixtures to the Kangaroos since the last World Cup in 2022.

However Wane believes that the caliber of the Australian league - and quality of the State of Origin matches between New South Wales and Queensland - deliver a more effective preparation for competing at the highest level of the international game than what is available in the Europe.

The England coach commented that the congested domestic league fixture schedule left little opportunity for him to coach his players during the season, which will only pose additional concerns around how the national team can bridge the gap to the Kangaroos before heading to Oceania in 2026.

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

"We have ten to fifteen a year. It's crucial demanding games to improve the domestic league and improve our chances of succeeding in these high-stakes fixtures.

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

"I understand in the boots of the head coaches that must to win games. The competition is that tight. It's unfortunate but that's not the cause we were defeated today."