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England's attacking frailties were exposed and punished by a ruthless Australian side as the tourists secured a worryingly straightforward victory in the opening Test of the rugby league Ashes series.

Shaun Wane’s team had talked at length about their motivation going into the opening series for 22 years, and they were definitely full of effort at the famous stadium. However, in the crucial moments, it was the world champions who displayed more calmness in front of a historic crowd for an series match in the United Kingdom of over sixty thousand spectators.

Outstanding Performance from Reece Walsh

Led by an outstanding display in attack and defence from club star Reece Walsh, Australia were deserving and convincing winners in the opening Test of the three-match series, meaning England must win at Goodison Park next Saturday to sustain their hopes of a first Ashes win since the 1970s.

England will have to be much better with the possession if they are to accomplish that goal. On several instances in the first half, the home team found themselves in advantageous situations but they were unable to cross for any tries. That was in no small part thanks to Reece Walsh, who pulled off two superb interceptions.

Key Moments of the Game

The first came as Herbie Farnworth seemed certain to put Dom Young in for what would have been the opening try, then Walsh stopped Mikey Lewis as half-time neared. By then, the Australians had taken the lead as Reece Walsh himself finished a excellent play.

Cleary added the extras before kicking a two-pointer on the brink of the interval to establish a eight-point advantage. It was a significant point, as was the score for Crichton shortly after the restart which made it fourteen to nil in favour of the visitors. England now had to cross the line thrice and that seemed to stifle their momentum.

Should there have been uncertainty about the winners, they were decisively settled with 15 minutes to go. Cameron Munster’s half-break was supported by Crichton, who pushed past Jack Welsby for the Kangaroos' third score.

That made it twenty to zero and there was further humiliation in the final minutes as Walsh completed another breathtaking move, taking advantage of a tired and clearly exhausted England defense for his second try.

Final Score and Outlook

By then, local supporters had begun to filter out and many did not see Daryl Clark’s late try, which at least prevented England being held to nil. Nonetheless, there are many issues for Wane to address going into what is now a must-win Test next Saturday.

• Home Side: Welsby; Young, Farnworth, Wardle, Johnstone; Williams, Lewis; Havard, Clark, Lees, Bateman, Pearce-Paul, Knowles.
• Substitutes: Litten, Walmsley, Trout, McMeeken.
• Try: Daryl Clark.
• Conversion: Mikey Lewis.

• Australia: Starting lineup.
• Bench: Reserves.
• Scores: Reece Walsh (two), Angus Crichton (two).
• Kicks: Cleary 5.