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As stated by leader the England captain, England were handed a stark "sobering lesson" as Australia won the prestigious series.

Australia's 14-4 triumph at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium on the weekend gave them a 2-0 series lead, making the upcoming sold-out third Test a academic contest.

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

In the past two years, they had secured a dominant victory over the Tongan side and a series win over the Samoan team. But as the historic rivalry returned after a 22-year absence, the English were unable to take the next step against the reigning title holders.

"We take full responsibility. There were enough sessions to perform correctly on the pitch, and I don't think we've quite done that," Williams commented.

"Credit to Australia. They proved good defensively. But there's loads to improve. It seems not as strong as we believed we were going into this series.

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

The Kangaroos 'Arrive and Prove Merciless'

Having been comprehensively defeated in an sloppy showing at Wembley, Wane side's were much improved on the weekend back in the rugby league heartlands of northern England.

During an energetic first half, the home side elicited errors from the Kangaroos and had dominant territory and possession, but crucially did not capitalize on the points tally.

Tellingly, England have now managed just a single touchdown over two full matches, with St Helens hooker Daryl Clark powering through late on in the setback in the capital.

Conversely, Australia have racked up half a dozen across the series - and when mistakes began to creep into the hosts' play just after the half-time, it was a case of certainty, they were going to be made to pay.

First the playmaker scored, and then so too did the forward. From being tied at four-all, the home side were down by double digits.

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

"The switch off for a brief period after the break cost us greatly. The first try was avoidable and should never happen in a top-level game.

"The team is heartbroken. Extremely pleased the players had a go but so disappointed with that after half-time, which hurt us dearly."

While the upcoming global tournament in the Southern Hemisphere is just under a year from now, the team's immediate focus will be on trying to salvage honor, avoiding a 3-0 sweep and eradicating the errors that annoyed the coach.

"I wanted 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. It's just a lack of precision in our offense where we could have put them under increased strain. We need to stop each of [tries] more effectively.

"Fair play to Australia - that is not a criticism to them. They arrive and are clinical when they seize opportunities, and we failed to be, but in defense we must do improve.

"The Australians will be focused to win 3-0 and we need to be obsessed to make it a competitive series. I've told that to the squad. This must become our primary goal. It will be a tough week but the side that wants it the greatest will get the win next week."

Competitive Edge Needs to Increase in Domestic Competition

England have played a similar number of international fixtures to Australia since the previous global tournament in 2022.

Yet the coach argues that the strength of the NRL - and standard of the domestic rivalry matches between New South Wales and Queensland - offer a superior grounding for competing at the highest level of the global stage than what is on offer in the UK.

Wane commented that the hectic Super League calendar left no time for him to work with his players during the campaign, which will only raise additional concerns around how England can narrow the difference to Australia before heading to the Southern Hemisphere in the next World Cup.

"They participate in a lot of internationals in their league," he added.

"England have 10-15 a year. It's crucial really intense games to enhance the domestic league and improve our chances of winning these types of matches.

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

"I have also been in the boots of the head coaches that need to win games. The competition is that tight. It's a pity but that's not the cause we lost today."