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As stated by captain George Williams, England were delivered a stark "wake-up call" as Australia clinched the prestigious series.

Australia's decisive 14-4 win at the stadium in Liverpool on the weekend gave them a commanding series edge, making next week's sold-out third Test a dead rubber.

The national squad had entered the series dreaming of sending Australia to their first Ashes series defeat since 1970.

Recently, they had enjoyed a clean sweep over the Tongan side and a success over Samoa. But as the historic rivalry resumed after a long break, England were unable to make the leap against the top-ranked team.

"We're not making excuses. There were enough training periods to execute properly on the pitch, and it's clear we've achieved that," the captain stated.

"Full marks to the Kangaroos. They were strong in defense. But there's a lot to improve. It seems not as good as we believed we were going into this series.

"So it's a good reality check for us, and [there is] loads to develop."

The Kangaroos 'Show Up and Are Clinical'

After being comprehensively defeated in an mistake-ridden performance at the national stadium, England's were significantly better on Saturday back in the core regions of the North.

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

Tellingly, the English team have now scored just a single touchdown over 160 minutes, with player the forward scoring late on in the loss in the capital.

On the other hand, Australia have scored six so far - and when mistakes began to affect the hosts' play just after the break, it was a case of inevitability, they were going to be made to pay.

First the playmaker crossed, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being tied at four-all, England were down by double digits.

"Satisfied for the majority of the game. I thought for 70 minutes we were competitive," said the coach.

"The drop in intensity for 10 minutes after the break cost us severely. The first try was soft and should never happen in a international fixture.

"We're devastated. So proud the squad had a dig but so disappointed with that second-half lapse, which cost us significantly."

While the upcoming global tournament in Oceania is just under next year, England's immediate focus will be on trying to salvage honor, preventing a 3-0 sweep and eliminating the errors that frustrated the coach.

"I hoped to see more directed toward the opposition. I wanted us to build pressure in the game - we fell short last week," added the veteran coach.

"We managed this week. The issue is a minor refinements in our attack where we could have put them under increased strain. It's essential to defend both [tries] more effectively.

"Fair play to Australia - that is no slight to them. They turn up and are merciless when they seize opportunities, and we weren't, but defensively we can and should do improve.

"They will be focused to win the series whitewash and we need to be obsessed to make it a competitive series. I've said that to the squad. It has to be our main aim. It will be a tough week but whoever wants it the most will get the win next week."

Intensity Must to Increase in Super League

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

Yet Wane argues that the quality of the Australian league - and level of the State of Origin matches between NSW and QLD - offer a more effective foundation for competing at the top of the global stage than what is on offer in the Europe.

Wane commented that the congested domestic league fixture list allowed little opportunity for him to work with his team during the campaign, which will only pose additional concerns around how the national team can bridge the gap to Australia before heading to Oceania in 2026.

"The Australians play a lot of Test matches in their competition," he stated.

"England have ten to fifteen a year. We need demanding games to boost the domestic league and increase our chances of winning these sorts of games.

"I couldn't even practice with the players. There was no chance to got on the field in the campaign and despite having the complete support of everyone in Super League.

"I understand in the shoes of the club managers that must to win games. The league is that tight. It's unfortunate but it's not the reason we got beaten today."