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As stated by captain the England captain, England were given a harsh "reality check" as the Kangaroos secured the coveted Ashes trophy.

Australia's decisive 14-4 win at the stadium in Liverpool on the weekend gave them a unassailable 2-0 advantage, making next week's Headingley encounter a dead rubber.

The national squad had entered the series harbouring hopes of sending the Kangaroos to their initial series loss since 1970.

In the past two years, they had enjoyed a dominant victory over the Tongan side and a 2-0 triumph over the Samoan team. But as the prestigious competition resumed after a two-decade hiatus, the English were unable to take the next step against the reigning title holders.

"We take full responsibility. There were enough preparations to perform correctly on the pitch, and I don't think we've achieved that," the captain told.

"Full marks to the Kangaroos. They proved excellent defensively. But we've got a lot to improve. We're probably not as prepared as we expected we were entering this series.

"So it's a valuable wake-up call for us, and there is much to improve on."

Australia 'Arrive and Prove Merciless'

After being soundly beaten in an error-strewn display at Wembley, Wane side's were much improved on the weekend back in the core regions of England's north.

In a rousing opening period, England caused turnovers from the Kangaroos and had dominant territory and ball control, but unfortunately did not make it count on the points tally.

Significantly, England have now scored just one score over the series so far, with player Daryl Clark powering through late on in the setback in the capital.

In contrast, Australia have racked up half a dozen so far - and when mistakes began to appear in the hosts' play just after the interval, it was a case of when, not if, they were going to be heavily penalized.

First the playmaker crossed, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being tied at four-all, England were 10 points adrift.

"Satisfied for the majority of the game. In my view for most of the match we were good," said the coach.

"The lapse for a brief period after half-time damaged us immensely. The first try was avoidable and should never happen in a Test match.

"The team is devastated. So proud the players had a dig but so disappointed with that second-half lapse, which cost us heavily."

Although the upcoming global tournament in Australia and Papua New Guinea is just under a year from now, the team's primary concern will be on trying to regain respect, preventing a clean sweep and eliminating the mistakes that frustrated Wane.

"I wanted to see greater effort directed toward the opposition. I wanted us to build pressure in the game - we failed to deliver last week," added the veteran coach.

"We managed this week. It's just a minor refinements in our offense where we could have applied under greater stress. It's essential to defend both [tries] better.

"Credit to the Kangaroos - that is not a criticism to them. They turn up and are clinical when they seize opportunities, and we weren't, 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 2-1. I've told that to the squad. It has to be our primary goal. It's going to be a difficult week but the side that wants it the most will get the win next week."

Competitive Edge Needs to Improve in Domestic Competition

England have played a comparable number of international fixtures to the Kangaroos since the previous global tournament in recent years.

However Wane argues that the quality of the NRL - and standard of the State of Origin matches between NSW and Queensland - provide a superior preparation for competing at the top of the international game than what is on offer in the Europe.

Wane commented that the congested domestic league calendar allowed no time for him to work with his squad during the season, which will only pose more issues around how the national team can close the divide to Australia before heading to Oceania in 2026.

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

"England play 10-15 a year. It's crucial really intense games to boost the competition and boost our prospects of succeeding in these high-stakes fixtures.

"It was impossible to even train with the squad. There was no chance to got on the field in the season and I had the complete support of all clubs in the domestic competition.

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