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In the words of skipper George Williams, the national team were given a harsh "wake-up call" as the Kangaroos clinched the Rugby League Ashes.

Australia's 14-4 victory at the Merseyside venue on the weekend gave them a commanding series edge, making next week's sold-out third Test a dead rubber.

Shaun Wane's side had come into the series holding aspirations of inflicting Australia to their initial series loss since the 1970s.

In the past two years, they had secured a 3-0 series win over Tonga and a 2-0 triumph over Samoa. But as the Rugby League Ashes returned after a two-decade hiatus, England were failed to take the next step against the top-ranked team.

"No excuses from us. We've had enough training periods to get it right on the field, and it's clear we've achieved that," Williams stated.

"Full marks to the Kangaroos. They were strong defensively. But there's plenty to address. It seems not as strong as we believed we were going into this series.

"This serves as a good reality check for us, and we have plenty to enhance."

The Kangaroos 'Turn Up and Prove Ruthless'

Having been soundly beaten in an mistake-ridden performance at the national stadium, England's were markedly enhanced on Saturday back in the core regions of the North.

In a rousing first half, the home side elicited errors from the Australians and had all the field position and possession, but crucially did not convert opportunities on the points tally.

Significantly, the English team have now managed just one score over the series so far, with St Helens hooker Daryl Clark powering through late on in the loss in the capital.

On the other hand, Australia have accumulated half a dozen in two games - and when blunders began to appear in the hosts' play just after the interval, it was a case of certainty, they were going to be made to pay.

Initially Cameron Munster went over, and then so too did the forward. From being level at 4-4, England were trailing by 10.

"Satisfied for the majority of the game. In my view for 70 minutes we were solid," said the coach.

"The lapse for a brief period after the break hurt us greatly. The first try was avoidable and should never happen in a international fixture.

"We're deeply disappointed. Extremely pleased the squad had a go but very frustrated with that after half-time, which proved costly dearly."

While the next World Cup in Oceania is just under next year, the team's primary concern will be on attempting to restore some pride, avoiding a series whitewash and addressing the mistakes that irritated the coach.

"I hoped to see more thrown at Australia. My aim was us to maintain momentum 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 offensive play where we could have applied under increased strain. We need to stop each of [tries] more effectively.

"Fair play to Australia - that is no slight to them. They arrive and are clinical when they get a chance, and we weren't, but in defense we must do improve.

"The Australians will be focused to win the series whitewash and we need to be just as focused to make it a respectable scoreline. 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 emerge victorious next week."

Intensity Needs to Increase in Domestic Competition

England have participated in a comparable number of Test matches to Australia since the previous global tournament in 2022.

Yet Wane argues that the strength of the Australian league - and level of the State of Origin matches between NSW and Queensland - provide a superior grounding for competing at the top of the international game than what is on offer in the UK.

The England coach noted that the hectic domestic league fixture schedule allowed no time for him to train his players during the campaign, which will only raise more issues around how the national team can bridge the gap to the Kangaroos before heading to the Southern Hemisphere in 2026.

"The Australians play a large number of Test matches in their competition," Wane stated.

"England play 10-15 a year. It's crucial really intense games to enhance the competition and improve our chances of winning these high-stakes fixtures.

"I couldn't even practice with the squad. There was no chance to trained together in the season and I had the complete support of everyone in Super League.

"I understand in the position of the head coaches that need to win games. The league is that packed. It's unfortunate but it's not the reason we were defeated today."