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As stated by skipper the England captain, the national team were handed a harsh "reality check" as Australia clinched the coveted Ashes trophy.

The Kangaroos' 14-4 victory at the Merseyside venue on Saturday gave them a unassailable 2-0 advantage, making the upcoming Headingley encounter a academic contest.

The England team had come into the series harbouring hopes of inflicting Australia to their initial series loss since over five decades ago.

In the past two years, they had secured 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 long break, the English were unable to advance further against the reigning title holders.

"No excuses from us. There were enough sessions to execute properly on the field, and it's clear we've achieved that," the captain commented.

"Full marks to the Kangaroos. They were strong defensively. But we've got plenty to improve. We're probably not as good as we expected we were entering this series.

"This serves as a necessary reality check for us, and we have plenty to improve on."

The Kangaroos 'Show Up and Prove Clinical'

After being soundly beaten in an error-strewn display at the national stadium, England's were significantly better on Saturday back in the traditional strongholds of the North.

In an inspiring initial stages, England forced mistakes from the Australians and had dominant territory and ball control, but crucially did not convert opportunities on the points tally.

Notably, England have now managed just one try over two full matches, with player Daryl Clark powering through late on in the setback in London.

Conversely, Australia have racked up half a dozen so far - and when mistakes began to affect the hosts' 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 the forward. From being tied at four-all, the home side were trailing by 10.

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

"The lapse for 10 minutes after the break damaged us immensely. Munster's try was soft and should not be scored in a Test match.

"The team is heartbroken. Extremely pleased the squad had a go but so disappointed with that after half-time, which hurt us dearly."

Although the upcoming global tournament in the Southern Hemisphere is just under 12 months away, England's immediate focus will be on attempting to restore some pride, preventing a series whitewash and eliminating the issues that frustrated the coach.

"I wanted to see greater effort directed toward Australia. My aim was us to apply sustained attack in the game - we failed to deliver last week," added the veteran coach.

"We managed this week. The issue is a lack of precision in our offense where we could have put them under increased strain. It's essential to defend both [tries] better.

"Credit to Australia - that is not a criticism to them. They turn up and are ruthless when they get a chance, and we failed to be, but defensively we must do improve.

"They will be obsessed 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. This must become our primary goal. It will be a difficult week but the side that desires it the most will emerge victorious next week."

Intensity Must to Improve in Super League

The English side have participated in a comparable number of international fixtures to Australia since the previous global tournament in recent years.

However the coach believes that the caliber of the Australian league - and standard of the domestic rivalry matches between New South Wales and Queensland - offer a more effective foundation for competing at the top of the global stage than what is on offer in the UK.

Wane commented that the packed domestic league fixture schedule allowed no time for him to coach his squad during the season, which will only raise additional concerns around how England can narrow the difference to Australia before heading to the Southern Hemisphere in the next World Cup.

"The Australians participate in a lot of Test matches in their league," Wane added.

"England play ten to fifteen a year. We need really intense games to boost the domestic league and boost our prospects of winning these types of matches.

"I couldn't even practice with the players. We never got on the field in the campaign and I had the full backing of everyone in the domestic competition.

"I understand in the shoes of the club managers that must to win games. The league is that packed. It's a pity but it's not the reason we lost today."