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As stated by leader the England captain, England were handed a stark "sobering lesson" as Australia clinched the Rugby League Ashes.

The Kangaroos' 14-4 victory at the Merseyside venue on the weekend gave them a 2-0 series lead, making the upcoming sold-out third Test a dead rubber.

The England team had entered the series harbouring hopes of inflicting the Kangaroos to their initial series loss since the 1970s.

Recently, they had enjoyed a 3-0 series win over the Tongan side and a series win over the Samoan team. But as the historic rivalry returned after a two-decade hiatus, England were failed to make the leap against the reigning title holders.

"No excuses from us. There were enough training periods to perform correctly on the field, and it's clear we've achieved that," the captain told.

"Credit to Australia. They proved good in defense. But we've got loads to address. It seems not as prepared as we expected we were entering this series.

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

The Kangaroos 'Turn Up and Are Clinical'

Having been comprehensively defeated in an sloppy showing at the national stadium, Wane side's were markedly enhanced on Saturday back in the rugby league heartlands of northern England.

In a rousing initial stages, the home side forced mistakes from the Australians and had all the field position and ball control, but crucially did not convert opportunities on the scoreboard.

Notably, England have now managed just a single touchdown over two full matches, with player the forward barging over late on in the defeat in the capital.

Conversely, Australia have scored half a dozen so far - and when blunders began to creep into the England's play just after the break, it was a case of certainty, they were going to be made to pay.

Initially Cameron Munster crossed, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being tied at 4-4, England were trailing by 10.

"Satisfied for the bulk of the game. In my view for 70 minutes we were competitive," said Wane.

"The lapse for a brief period after half-time hurt us greatly. The first try was avoidable and should never happen in a international fixture.

"We're deeply disappointed. So proud the squad had a dig but very frustrated with that after half-time, which hurt us dearly."

While the next World Cup in the Southern Hemisphere is just under a year from now, the team's short-term goal will be on attempting to salvage honor, avoiding a clean sweep and eliminating the errors that frustrated Wane.

"I hoped to see greater effort thrown at the opposition. I wanted us to build pressure in the game - we didn't do that last week," added the 61-year-old.

"We did this week. The issue is a minor refinements in our offensive play where we could have put them under greater stress. It's essential to stop each of [tries] more effectively.

"Credit to Australia - that is not a criticism to them. They arrive and are clinical when they get a chance, and we failed to be, but in defense we must do enhance.

"They will be determined to win the series whitewash and we need to be equally determined to make it a respectable scoreline. I've told that to the players. It has to be our main aim. It's going to be a tough week but the side that strives for it the greatest will get the win next week."

Competitive Edge Must to Improve in Super League

England have participated in a similar number of Test matches to Australia since the previous global tournament in recent years.

However Wane thinks that the strength of the Australian league - and standard of the State of Origin matches between New South Wales and Queensland - offer a much better foundation for performing at the top of the international game than what is on offer in the northern hemisphere.

The England coach commented that the packed Super League fixture schedule left no time for him to coach his squad during the campaign, which will only pose more issues around how the national team can close the divide to Australia before heading to Oceania in 2026.

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

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

"I couldn't even practice with the squad. There was no chance to trained together in the campaign and despite having the total cooperation of everyone in the domestic competition.

"I understand in the shoes of the head coaches that need to win games. The league is that packed. It's unfortunate but that's not the reason we were defeated today."