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According to leader the England captain, the national team were given a brutal "reality check" as Australia secured the Rugby League Ashes.

The Kangaroos' 14-4 triumph at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday gave them a 2-0 series lead, making next week's final match in Leeds 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 achieved a 3-0 series win over the Tongan side and a series win over the Samoan team. But as the Rugby League Ashes resumed after a 22-year absence, the English were failed to advance further against the top-ranked team.

"No excuses from us. We've had enough preparations to execute properly on the field, and it's clear we've quite done that," the captain stated.

"Australia deserve praise. They were excellent defensively. But there's a lot to improve. It seems not as strong as we thought we were going into this series.

"This serves as a good wake-up call for us, and there is much to improve on."

The Kangaroos 'Arrive and Are Merciless'

Having been soundly beaten in an mistake-ridden performance at the national stadium, Wane side's were significantly better on the weekend back in the traditional strongholds of the North.

In an inspiring first half, the home side forced mistakes from the Kangaroos and had superior positioning and possession, but crucially did not convert opportunities on the scoreboard.

Tellingly, England have now managed just one score over the series so far, with player the forward powering through late on in the setback in London.

In contrast, the Kangaroos have racked up half a dozen across the series - and when errors began to affect the hosts' play just after the break, it was a case of when, not if, they were going to be made to pay.

Initially the playmaker went over, and then so too did the forward. From being tied at four-all, the home side were down by double digits.

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

"The switch off for 10 minutes after the break hurt us immensely. The first try was soft and should not be scored in a top-level game.

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

While the upcoming global tournament in the Southern Hemisphere is just under a year from now, England's immediate focus will be on attempting to regain respect, preventing a 3-0 sweep and addressing the errors that frustrated the coach.

"I hoped to see more directed toward Australia. I wanted us to maintain momentum in the game - we failed to deliver last week," added the 61-year-old.

"We did this week. The issue is a bit of detail in our offense where we could have applied under increased strain. We need to stop each of [tries] with greater resolve.

"Fair play to the Kangaroos - that is not a criticism to them. They turn up and are merciless 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 said that to the players. This must become our main aim. It will be a tough week but whoever desires it the greatest will secure victory next week."

Competitive Edge Must to Improve in Domestic Competition

The English side have participated in a similar number of Test matches to the Kangaroos since the last World Cup in 2022.

However Wane argues that the quality of the Australian league - and level of the State of Origin matches between New South Wales and QLD - provide a superior foundation for performing at the highest level of the international game than what is on offer in the UK.

The England coach added that the congested Super League fixture list allowed no time for him to train his players during the season, which will only pose further questions around how the national team can close the divide to the Kangaroos before travelling to the Southern Hemisphere in the next World Cup.

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

"We have 10-15 a year. It's crucial highly competitive games to boost the domestic league and increase our chances of winning these types of matches.

"I couldn't even train with the players. We never got on the field in the campaign and despite having the full backing of everyone in Super League.

"I understand in the shoes 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."