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In the words of skipper the England captain, the national team were handed a brutal "reality check" as the Kangaroos clinched the prestigious series.

The Kangaroos' decisive 14-4 win at the stadium in Liverpool on the weekend gave them a 2-0 series lead, making next week's sold-out third Test a dead rubber.

Shaun Wane's side had come into the series harbouring hopes of inflicting Australia to their maiden Ashes setback since the 1970s.

Recently, they had secured a dominant victory over the Tongan side and a series win over the Samoan team. But as the prestigious competition returned after a long break, the English were unable to take the next step against the world champions.

"We're not making excuses. There were enough sessions to get it right on the field, and I don't think we've achieved that," the captain stated.

"Full marks to the Kangaroos. They were good in defense. But there's a lot to improve. We're probably not as good as we believed we were going into this series.

"So it's a valuable reality check for us, and [there is] loads to enhance."

Australia 'Show Up and Are Ruthless'

Having been soundly beaten in an sloppy showing at Wembley, Wane side's were much improved on the weekend back in the traditional strongholds of the North.

In an inspiring opening period, England forced mistakes from the Australians and had superior positioning and ball control, but importantly did not convert opportunities on the points tally.

Significantly, England have now managed just one score over 160 minutes, with St Helens hooker Daryl Clark powering through late on in the loss in London.

Conversely, the Kangaroos have racked up six across the series - and when mistakes began to creep into the England's play just after the interval, it was a case of certainty, they were going to be heavily penalized.

First Cameron Munster scored, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being tied at four-all, the home side were trailing by 10.

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

"The lapse for a brief period after half-time cost us severely. The first try was easy and should not be scored in a Test match.

"We're deeply disappointed. Extremely pleased the players had a fight but very frustrated with that post-interval, which cost us dearly."

While the next World Cup in Oceania is just under 12 months away, England's short-term goal will be on attempting to salvage honor, preventing a clean sweep and eradicating the mistakes that frustrated the coach.

"I hoped to see additional intensity directed toward Australia. I wanted us to apply sustained attack in the game - we fell short last week," added the 61-year-old.

"We managed this week. It's just a bit of detail in our offense where we could have applied under more pressure. It's essential to stop each of [tries] more effectively.

"Credit to Australia - that is not a criticism to them. They turn up and are merciless when they seize opportunities, and we failed to be, but defensively we can and should do better.

"They will be determined to win all three Tests and we need to be just as focused to make it 2-1. I've told that to the squad. It has to be our primary goal. It's going to be a tough week but whoever strives for it the most will secure victory next week."

Competitive Edge Needs to Improve in Super League

The English side have participated in a similar number of international fixtures to Australia since the last World Cup in 2022.

However Wane thinks that the strength of the Australian league - and quality of the domestic rivalry matches between New South Wales and Queensland - offer a much better preparation for competing at the highest level of the international game than what is available in the northern hemisphere.

Wane noted that the packed Super League calendar left no time for him to train his squad during the season, which will only pose additional concerns around how England can close the divide to the Kangaroos before heading to the Southern Hemisphere in the next World Cup.

"The Australians participate in a lot of internationals in their competition," he added.

"England play ten to fifteen a year. It's crucial highly competitive games to improve the competition and increase our prospects of winning these types of matches.

"It was impossible to even practice with the squad. There was no chance to trained together in the campaign and I had the complete support of all clubs in Super League.

"I understand in the shoes of the club managers that need to win games. The competition is that tight. It's a pity but that's not the reason we lost today."