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In the words of captain George Williams, England were given a harsh "wake-up call" as Australia secured the coveted Ashes trophy.

Australia's 14-4 triumph at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium on the weekend gave them a 2-0 series lead, making next week's sold-out third Test a dead rubber.

The national squad had entered the series dreaming of sending Australia to their first Ashes series defeat since over five decades ago.

In the past two years, they had secured a dominant victory over the Tongan side and a 2-0 triumph over Samoa. But as the historic rivalry resumed after a 22-year absence, the English were failed to advance further against the reigning title holders.

"We're not making excuses. There were enough training periods to perform correctly on the pitch, and it's clear we've achieved that," Williams commented.

"Credit to Australia. They proved good defensively. But we've got a lot to improve. It seems not as strong as we expected we were going into this series.

"So it's a good lesson for us, and there is much to enhance."

The Kangaroos 'Arrive and Are Clinical'

After being soundly beaten in an sloppy showing at the national stadium, Wane side's were significantly better on the weekend back in the traditional strongholds of England's north.

During an energetic first half, the home side forced mistakes from the Kangaroos and had superior positioning and ball control, but importantly did not make it count on the points tally.

Tellingly, England have now scored just a single touchdown over the series so far, with St Helens hooker Daryl Clark scoring late on in the setback in London.

On the other hand, Australia have scored half a dozen across the series - and when errors began to affect the England's play just after the break, it was a case of inevitability, they were going to be made to pay.

First Cameron Munster crossed, and then so too did the forward. From being level at four-all, the home side were down by double digits.

"Proud for the bulk of the game. In my view for most of the match we were solid," said the coach.

"The switch off for 10 minutes after the break damaged us severely. The first try was easy and should never happen in a Test match.

"We're heartbroken. So proud the squad had a dig but so disappointed with that after half-time, which hurt us significantly."

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 attempting to regain respect, preventing a 3-0 sweep and eliminating the issues that irritated the coach.

"I hoped to see greater effort directed toward Australia. I wanted us to maintain momentum in the game - we didn't do that last week," added the 61-year-old.

"We managed this week. The issue is a minor refinements in our offense where we could have applied under greater stress. It's essential to defend both [tries] with greater resolve.

"Credit to the Kangaroos - that is no detriment to them. They perform and are clinical when they get a chance, and we weren't, but in defense we can and should do improve.

"They will be focused to win the series whitewash and we need to be equally determined to make it a competitive series. I've told that to the players. It has to be our primary goal. It's going to be a challenging week but whoever desires it the greatest will get the win next week."

Intensity Needs to Increase in Super League

England have participated in a similar number of Test matches to Australia since the last World Cup in recent years.

However the coach thinks that the quality of the NRL - and quality of the domestic rivalry matches between NSW and QLD - deliver a superior grounding for performing at the top of the international game than what is available in the northern hemisphere.

The England coach added that the packed Super League calendar allowed no time for him to train his players during the campaign, which will only pose further questions around how the national team can bridge the gap to Australia before heading to the Southern Hemisphere in 2026.

"The Australians participate in a large number of internationals in their league," he remarked.

"England have 10-15 a year. It's crucial demanding games to enhance the domestic league and boost our prospects of winning these sorts of games.

"It was impossible to even train with the squad. There was no chance to got on the field in the campaign and I had the complete support of everyone in the domestic competition.

"I have also been in the boots of the club managers that must to win games. The competition is that congested. It's a pity but it's not the cause we got beaten today."