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As stated by skipper George Williams, England were given a harsh "reality check" as the Kangaroos clinched the Rugby League Ashes.

Australia's 14-4 victory at the stadium in Liverpool on Saturday gave them a unassailable 2-0 advantage, making the upcoming Headingley encounter a academic contest.

The England team had entered the series harbouring hopes of sending the Kangaroos to their first Ashes series defeat since the 1970s.

In the past two years, they had achieved a clean sweep over the Tongan side and a 2-0 triumph over Samoa. But as the Rugby League Ashes returned after a two-decade hiatus, England were unable to make the leap against the world champions.

"We take full responsibility. There were enough preparations to get it right on the pitch, and it's clear we've achieved that," the captain stated.

"Full marks to the Kangaroos. They proved good defensively. But we've got plenty to work on. We're probably not as prepared as we believed we were entering this series.

"This serves as a necessary lesson for us, and [there is] loads to improve on."

The Kangaroos 'Turn Up and Are Merciless'

Having been heavily outplayed in an mistake-ridden performance at the national stadium, Wane side's were much improved on Saturday back in the core regions of northern England.

During an energetic initial stages, England caused turnovers from the Australians and had all the field position and possession, but importantly did not capitalize on the points tally.

Tellingly, England have now managed just a single touchdown over 160 minutes, with player the forward barging over late on in the loss in London.

On the other hand, the Kangaroos have racked up half a dozen so far - and when blunders began to appear in the hosts' play just after the break, it was a case of certainty, they were going to be heavily penalized.

Initially the playmaker went over, and then so too did the forward. From being level at 4-4, the home side were trailing by 10.

"Proud for the majority of the game. I thought for 70 minutes we were solid," said Wane.

"The drop in intensity for 10 minutes after half-time hurt us greatly. The first try was avoidable and should not be scored in a top-level game.

"We're deeply disappointed. So proud the players had a dig but so disappointed with that after half-time, which hurt us heavily."

Although the upcoming global tournament in Australia and Papua New Guinea is just under a year from now, England's immediate focus will be on trying to regain respect, avoiding a series whitewash 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 didn't do that last week," added the veteran coach.

"We did this week. The issue is a minor refinements in our offense where we could have put them under more pressure. It's essential to stop each of [tries] with greater resolve.

"Credit to Australia - that is no slight to them. They turn up and are ruthless when they seize opportunities, and we failed to be, but in defense we can and should do enhance.

"They will be obsessed to win the series whitewash and we need to be equally determined to make it 2-1. I've said that to the squad. It has to be our main aim. It's going to be a tough week but whoever desires it the most will get the win next week."

Competitive Edge Needs to Increase in Domestic Competition

The English side have participated in a comparable number of international fixtures to the Kangaroos since the last World Cup in recent years.

Yet the coach thinks that the quality of the Australian league - and quality of the State of Origin matches between New South Wales and QLD - offer a much better preparation for performing at the top of the international game than what is available in the UK.

Wane noted that the congested Super League fixture list allowed no time for him to train his players during the campaign, which will only pose further questions around how England can close the divide to the Kangaroos before travelling to Oceania in the next World Cup.

"The Australians participate in a large number of internationals in their competition," he stated.

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

"I couldn't even practice with the players. There was no chance to trained together in the campaign and I had the total cooperation of everyone in the domestic competition.

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