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As stated by captain the England captain, the national team were delivered a brutal "wake-up call" as the Kangaroos secured the prestigious series.

Australia's 14-4 triumph at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium on the weekend gave them a 2-0 series lead, making the upcoming final match in Leeds a dead rubber.

The national squad had entered the series dreaming of inflicting the Kangaroos to their maiden Ashes setback since the 1970s.

In the past two years, they had achieved a dominant victory over the Tongan side and a success over the Samoan team. But as the Rugby League Ashes returned after a long break, the English were unable to make the leap against the world champions.

"No excuses from us. We've had enough preparations to perform correctly on the field, and I don't think we've managed that," Williams told.

"Australia deserve praise. They were good defensively. But we've got plenty to address. We're probably not as good as we expected we were entering this series.

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

Australia 'Turn Up and Prove Clinical'

Having been comprehensively defeated in an sloppy showing at Wembley, England's were much improved on the weekend back in the traditional strongholds of the North.

During an energetic first half, England caused turnovers from the Australians and had dominant territory and ball control, but importantly did not capitalize on the scoreboard.

Significantly, the English team have now scored just one score over two full matches, with St Helens hooker the forward scoring late on in the setback in the capital.

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

First Cameron Munster crossed, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being tied at 4-4, the home side were down by double digits.

"Satisfied for the majority of the game. In my view for most of the match we were good," said the coach.

"The lapse for a brief period after the break damaged us immensely. The first try was soft and should not be scored in a international fixture.

"We're deeply disappointed. Extremely pleased the squad had a fight but so disappointed with that after half-time, which cost us dearly."

Although the next World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea is just under 12 months away, the team's primary concern will be on trying to restore some pride, avoiding a clean sweep and addressing the errors that frustrated the coach.

"I hoped to see additional intensity directed toward Australia. My aim was us to apply sustained attack in the game - we didn't do that last week," added the veteran coach.

"We managed this week. It's just a bit of detail in our attack where we could have applied under more pressure. We need to stop each of [tries] with greater resolve.

"Fair play to the Kangaroos - that is no detriment to them. They turn up and are merciless when they seize opportunities, and we weren't, but defensively we must do improve.

"The Australians will be obsessed to win all three Tests and we need to be equally determined to make it 2-1. I've told that to the squad. It has to be our main aim. It's going to be a challenging week but whoever desires it the greatest will get the win next week."

Competitive Edge Needs to Improve in Super League

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

Yet the coach thinks that the caliber of the Australian league - and level of the domestic rivalry matches between NSW and Queensland - provide a superior foundation for competing at the highest level of the global stage than what is on offer in the Europe.

Wane commented that the packed domestic league fixture list allowed no time for him to coach his team during the season, which will only raise additional concerns around how England can bridge the gap to Australia before heading to Oceania in 2026.

"They participate in a lot of Test matches in their league," he added.

"We have ten to fifteen a year. We need highly competitive games to enhance the competition and increase our chances of winning these types of matches.

"It was impossible to even train with the players. There was no chance to got on the field in the season and despite having the total cooperation of all clubs in the domestic competition.

"I understand in the position of the head coaches that need to win games. The competition is that congested. It's a pity but it's not the cause we got beaten today."