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As stated by skipper the England captain, England were delivered a brutal "sobering lesson" as the Kangaroos won the coveted Ashes trophy.

The Kangaroos' 14-4 victory at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday gave them a commanding series edge, making next week's Headingley encounter a dead rubber.

The national squad had come into the series harbouring hopes of sending the Kangaroos to their maiden Ashes setback since the 1970s.

In the past two years, they had achieved a 3-0 series win over the Tongan side and a success over the Samoan team. But as the prestigious competition returned after a 22-year absence, the English were unable to make the leap against the world champions.

"We're not making excuses. We've had enough training periods to perform correctly on the field, and I don't think we've managed that," the captain told.

"Credit to Australia. They proved excellent in defense. But we've got a lot to address. It seems not as good as we expected we were entering this series.

"So it's a good wake-up call for us, and [there is] loads to improve on."

The Kangaroos 'Arrive and Are Merciless'

After being heavily outplayed in an sloppy showing at Wembley, England's were significantly better on the weekend back in the traditional strongholds of the North.

In a rousing first half, the home side forced mistakes from the Kangaroos and had superior positioning and ball control, but crucially did not convert opportunities on the scoreboard.

Tellingly, England have now managed just one try over two full matches, with St Helens hooker the forward powering through late on in the setback in London.

In contrast, Australia have accumulated six so far - and when blunders began to affect the England's play just after the break, it was a case of when, not if, they were going to be made to pay.

First Cameron Munster crossed, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being level at 4-4, the home side were trailing by 10.

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

"The drop in intensity for 10 minutes after half-time cost us immensely. The first try was avoidable and should never happen in a international fixture.

"The team is heartbroken. So proud the squad had a fight but so disappointed with that second-half lapse, which hurt us dearly."

Although the upcoming global tournament in Oceania is just under next year, the team's short-term goal will be on trying to restore some pride, avoiding a series whitewash and addressing the errors that annoyed the coach.

"I hoped to see more thrown at the opposition. My aim was us to apply sustained attack in the game - we failed to deliver last week," added the 61-year-old.

"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 stop each of [tries] with greater resolve.

"Credit to the Kangaroos - that is no detriment to them. They perform and are merciless when they get a chance, and we failed to be, but defensively we can and should do enhance.

"The Australians will be obsessed to win 3-0 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's going to be a tough week but whoever wants it the most will emerge victorious next week."

Competitive Edge Needs to Improve in Super League

England have played a comparable number of Test matches to the Kangaroos since the last World Cup in recent years.

However Wane argues that the caliber of the Australian league - and level of the domestic rivalry matches between NSW and Queensland - offer a much better foundation for competing at the highest level of the global stage than what is on offer in the UK.

Wane commented that the packed Super League calendar left little opportunity for him to work with his players during the season, which will only raise further questions around how England can close the divide to the Kangaroos before heading to the Southern Hemisphere in 2026.

"The Australians participate in a lot of internationals in their competition," he added.

"We play 10-15 a year. We need really intense games to improve the domestic league and increase our prospects of succeeding in these high-stakes fixtures.

"It was impossible to even train with the players. There was no chance to trained together in the campaign and I had the total cooperation of everyone in Super League.

"I understand in the boots of the head coaches that must to win games. The league is that congested. It's a pity but it's not the cause we were defeated today."