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As stated by skipper George Williams, England were given a stark "reality check" as Australia won the coveted Ashes trophy.

Australia's 14-4 victory at the Merseyside venue on Saturday gave them a unassailable 2-0 advantage, making next week's sold-out third Test a meaningless fixture.

The England team had come into the series harbouring hopes of inflicting Australia to their first Ashes series defeat since 1970.

Over the last 24 months, they had achieved a dominant victory over Tonga and a 2-0 triumph over Samoa. But as the Rugby League Ashes resumed after a two-decade hiatus, England were failed to make the leap against the top-ranked team.

"We take full responsibility. There were enough sessions to get it right on the field, and I don't think we've quite done that," the captain told.

"Full marks to the Kangaroos. They were good in defense. But there's loads to work on. It seems not as prepared as we expected we were entering this series.

"So it's a good wake-up call for us, and we have plenty to develop."

Australia 'Arrive and Prove Merciless'

Having been heavily outplayed in an sloppy showing at Wembley, Wane side's were much improved on the weekend back in the core regions of northern England.

In a rousing opening period, the home side forced mistakes from the Australians and had superior positioning and possession, but importantly did not convert opportunities on the points tally.

Tellingly, England have now managed just one try over 160 minutes, with St Helens hooker Daryl Clark powering through late on in the defeat in London.

In contrast, Australia have scored half a dozen across the series - and when errors began to creep into the England's play just after the break, it was a case of when, not if, they were going to be severely punished.

Initially the playmaker crossed, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being level at 4-4, the home side were down by double digits.

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

"The drop in intensity for 10 minutes after the break cost us immensely. Munster's try was soft and should not be scored in a top-level game.

"The team is heartbroken. Extremely pleased the squad had a dig but very frustrated with that after half-time, which proved costly dearly."

While the next World Cup in Oceania is just under 12 months away, the team's immediate focus will be on attempting to restore some pride, avoiding a clean sweep and addressing the mistakes that frustrated the coach.

"I hoped to see more thrown at Australia. My aim was us to build pressure in the game - we fell short last week," added the veteran coach.

"We managed this week. The issue is a lack of precision in our offensive play where we could have applied under increased strain. We need to defend both [tries] with greater resolve.

"Credit to the Kangaroos - that is no detriment to them. They arrive and are clinical when they get a chance, and we weren't, but in defense we can and should do enhance.

"The Australians will be determined to win all three Tests and we need to be obsessed to make it 2-1. I've said that to the squad. It has to be our main aim. It will be a difficult week but whoever desires it the greatest will secure victory next week."

Competitive Edge Needs to Increase in Super League

England have participated in a similar number of international fixtures to Australia since the last World Cup in recent years.

Yet the coach believes that the strength of the NRL - and standard of the State of Origin matches between NSW and QLD - deliver a superior grounding for performing at the highest level of the international game than what is available in the northern hemisphere.

Wane noted that the packed domestic league fixture list allowed little opportunity for him to coach his squad during the season, which will only pose additional concerns around how the national team can narrow the difference to Australia before heading to Oceania in 2026.

"They play a large number of Test matches in their competition," he remarked.

"We have 10-15 a year. It's crucial really intense games to boost the domestic league and improve our prospects of succeeding in these high-stakes fixtures.

"I couldn't even train with the players. There was no chance to trained together in the campaign and despite having the total cooperation of all clubs in Super League.

"I have also been in the shoes of the club managers that must to win games. The competition is that packed. It's a pity but that's not the cause we lost today."