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As stated by captain the England captain, England were handed a brutal "wake-up call" as Australia clinched the prestigious series.

The Kangaroos' decisive 14-4 win at the Merseyside venue on the weekend gave them a unassailable 2-0 advantage, making next week's Headingley encounter a meaningless fixture.

The England team had come into the series harbouring hopes of sending the Kangaroos to their first Ashes series defeat since over five decades ago.

Over the last 24 months, they had achieved a 3-0 series win over Tonga and a 2-0 triumph over Samoa. But as the historic rivalry resumed after a long break, the English were unable to take the next step against the world champions.

"No excuses from us. We've had enough training periods to get it right on the pitch, and I don't think we've managed that," the captain stated.

"Australia deserve praise. They were strong in defense. But we've got loads to address. It seems not as strong as we believed we were entering this series.

"So it's a valuable wake-up call for us, and there is much to improve on."

The Kangaroos 'Turn Up and Are Clinical'

Having been heavily outplayed in an mistake-ridden performance at Wembley, Wane side's were much improved on the weekend back in the core regions of the North.

In a rousing first half, England forced mistakes from the Kangaroos and had all the field position and possession, but importantly did not make it count on the scoreboard.

Notably, England have now managed just one try over the series so far, with player Daryl Clark barging over late on in the defeat in the capital.

Conversely, Australia have racked up six so far - and when mistakes began to creep into the hosts' play just after the half-time, it was a case of certainty, they were going to be severely punished.

Initially Cameron Munster scored, and then so too did the forward. From being level at 4-4, England were trailing by 10.

"Proud for the bulk of the game. I thought for most of the match we were competitive," said Wane.

"The switch off for a brief period after the break cost us greatly. The first try was easy and should not be scored in a international fixture.

"The team is devastated. Extremely pleased the players had a fight but so disappointed with that post-interval, which hurt us dearly."

Although the next World Cup in the Southern Hemisphere is just under next year, the team's primary concern will be on trying to regain respect, preventing a series whitewash and addressing the mistakes that frustrated the coach.

"I hoped to see more thrown at the opposition. My aim was us to apply sustained attack in the game - we fell short last week," added the veteran coach.

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

"Fair play to Australia - that is no detriment to them. They arrive and are ruthless when they capitalize, and we weren't, but in defense we must do better.

"The Australians will be focused to win the series whitewash and we need to be obsessed to make it a respectable scoreline. I've told that to the squad. It has to be our obsession. It's going to be a tough week but the side that desires it the most will secure victory next week."

Competitive Edge Needs to Increase in Domestic Competition

England have played a comparable number of Test matches to Australia since the previous global tournament in 2022.

Yet the coach thinks that the quality of the NRL - and standard of the domestic rivalry matches between New South Wales and QLD - provide a more effective preparation for performing at the highest level of the global stage than what is on offer in the Europe.

The England coach commented that the congested domestic league fixture schedule left little opportunity for him to work with his squad during the campaign, which will only pose more issues around how England can narrow the difference to Australia before travelling to the Southern Hemisphere in the next World Cup.

"They play a large number of Test matches in their league," Wane added.

"England have 10-15 a year. It's crucial demanding games to enhance the competition and improve our prospects of winning these types of matches.

"I couldn't even practice with the squad. We never trained together in the season and I had the full backing of everyone in the domestic competition.

"I understand in the boots of the head coaches that need to win games. The competition is that tight. It's unfortunate but it's not the reason we were defeated today."