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England's offensive weaknesses were exposed and punished by a ruthless Australian side as the tourists swept to a surprisingly comfortable win in the first match of the rugby league Ashes series.

Shaun Wane’s side had talked at length about their motivation going into the opening series for over two decades, and they were definitely full of effort at Wembley. However, in the crucial moments, it was the world champions who displayed more composure in front of a record attendance for an series match in the United Kingdom of more than 60,000.

Brilliant Performance from Reece Walsh

Guided by an exceptional display in attack and defence from Brisbane Broncos’ Walsh, the Kangaroos were deserving and convincing victors in the first match of the three-game contest, meaning England must triumph at Goodison Park next Saturday to keep alive their hopes of a series victory since 1970.

They will have to be significantly improved with the possession if they are to achieve that. On several instances in the first half, the home team found themselves in promising positions but they were failed to score for any tries. That was in large measure thanks to Walsh, who pulled off two wonderful turnovers.

Key Moments of the Match

The initial occurred as Herbie Farnworth seemed certain to put Young in for what would have been the opening try, then the fullback stopped Lewis as half-time approached. By then, the Kangaroos had taken the lead as Reece Walsh himself finished a excellent move.

Cleary converted before adding a penalty on the brink of half-time to open up a eight-point advantage. It was a pivotal moment, as was the try for Angus Crichton soon after the restart which made it fourteen to nil in favour of the Kangaroos. England now had to score three times and that seemed to halt their drive.

If there were any doubt about the victors, they were firmly put to bed with a quarter-hour to go. Munster's line break was supported by Crichton, who pushed past Jack Welsby for the Kangaroos' third score.

That made it twenty to zero and there was added disappointment in the final minutes as Reece Walsh completed another breathtaking attack, exploiting a tired and clearly exhausted English defensive line for his second try.

Final Score and Outlook

By then, home fans had begun to leave early and many did not see Daryl Clark’s consolation, which at least prevented England being held to nil. Nonetheless, there are many issues for the coach to answer going into what is now a must-win Test next Saturday.

• England: Full team lineup.
• Interchange: Litten, Walmsley, Trout, McMeeken.
• Tries: Clark.
• Conversion: Lewis.

• Visitors: Starting lineup.
• Interchange: Dearden, Collins, Cotter, Koloamatangi.
• Tries: Walsh 2, Crichton 2.
• Goals: Cleary 5.