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In the words of leader the England captain, the national team were given a stark "sobering lesson" as Australia won the Rugby League Ashes.

Australia's 14-4 victory at the Merseyside venue on Saturday gave them a unassailable 2-0 advantage, making the upcoming final match in Leeds a meaningless fixture.

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

Recently, they had enjoyed a 3-0 series win over the Tongan side and a series win over Samoa. But as the Rugby League Ashes returned after a two-decade hiatus, the English were unable to advance further against the top-ranked team.

"No excuses from us. We've had enough sessions to get it right on the pitch, and it's clear we've managed that," Williams commented.

"Australia deserve praise. They were excellent in defense. But there's plenty to work on. It seems not as good as we believed we were entering this series.

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

Australia 'Arrive and Prove Clinical'

Having been heavily outplayed in an error-strewn display at Wembley, Wane side's were markedly enhanced on the weekend back in the rugby league heartlands of northern England.

In a rousing first half, the home side caused turnovers from the Australians and had superior positioning and possession, but unfortunately did not convert opportunities on the points tally.

Tellingly, England have now scored just one try over 160 minutes, with player Daryl Clark scoring late on in the defeat in London.

In contrast, Australia have scored half a dozen in two games - and when mistakes began to affect the hosts' play just after the interval, it was a case of inevitability, they were going to be made to pay.

Initially Cameron Munster scored, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being level at 4-4, England were trailing by 10.

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

"The lapse for 10 minutes after the break hurt us severely. The first try was avoidable and should never happen 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 hurt us dearly."

While the upcoming global tournament in Australia and Papua New Guinea is just under a year from now, England's primary concern will be on trying to restore some pride, avoiding a clean sweep and addressing the errors that irritated the coach.

"I wanted to see additional intensity thrown at Australia. I wanted us to build pressure in the game - we failed to deliver last week," added the veteran coach.

"We managed this week. The issue is a minor refinements 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 not a criticism to them. They arrive and are merciless when they seize opportunities, and we failed to be, but defensively we can and should do improve.

"They will be focused to win all three Tests and we need to be just as focused to make it a respectable scoreline. I've said that to the players. This must become our primary goal. It will be a challenging week but whoever strives for it the greatest will get the win next week."

Competitive Edge Must to Elevate in Super League

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

Yet Wane believes that the strength of the Australian league - and standard of the domestic rivalry matches between New South Wales and QLD - deliver a more effective foundation for competing at the top of the global stage than what is available in the northern hemisphere.

The England coach noted that the hectic domestic league calendar allowed no time for him to coach his squad during the season, which will only raise more issues around how England can bridge the gap to the Kangaroos before heading to the Southern Hemisphere in the next World Cup.

"The Australians 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 boost the domestic league and improve our prospects of winning these high-stakes fixtures.

"It was impossible to even practice with the players. There was no chance to got on the field in the season and I had the complete support of everyone in the domestic competition.

"I understand in the boots of the club managers that need to win games. The league is that tight. It's unfortunate but it's not the cause we lost today."