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In the words of leader George Williams, England were delivered a harsh "reality check" as Australia won the prestigious series.

The Kangaroos' 14-4 triumph at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium on the weekend gave them a 2-0 series lead, making next week's Headingley encounter a dead rubber.

The England team had entered the series holding aspirations of sending Australia to their first Ashes series defeat since the 1970s.

Over the last 24 months, they had achieved a 3-0 series win over Tonga and a series win over Samoa. But as the Rugby League Ashes resumed after a 22-year absence, England were failed to take the next step against the reigning title holders.

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

"Credit to Australia. They proved excellent in defense. But there's loads to address. It seems not as strong as we thought we were going into this series.

"So it's a good wake-up call for us, and [there is] loads to enhance."

The Kangaroos 'Turn Up and Prove Clinical'

Having been soundly beaten in an sloppy showing at Wembley, Wane side's were markedly enhanced on Saturday back in the rugby league heartlands of northern England.

During an energetic initial stages, the home side caused turnovers from the Australians and had superior positioning and ball control, but importantly did not convert opportunities on the points tally.

Tellingly, England have now managed just one try over 160 minutes, with player Daryl Clark scoring late on in the setback in London.

Conversely, the Kangaroos have accumulated six in two games - and when errors began to creep into the England's play just after the interval, it was a case of when, not if, they were going to be severely punished.

Initially the playmaker went over, and then so too did the forward. From being level at 4-4, England were trailing by 10.

"Satisfied for the majority of the game. In my view for most of the match we were competitive," said the coach.

"The lapse for 10 minutes after the break hurt us severely. The first try was soft and should never happen in a top-level game.

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

While the upcoming global tournament in Oceania is just under next year, England's immediate focus will be on attempting to restore some pride, avoiding a series whitewash and addressing the errors that frustrated the coach.

"I wanted to see more directed toward the opposition. I wanted us to maintain momentum in the game - we didn't do that last week," added the veteran coach.

"We did this week. The issue is a bit of detail in our attack where we could have applied under greater stress. We need to defend both [tries] better.

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

"They will be obsessed to win 3-0 and we need to be just as focused to make it 2-1. I've said that to the players. It has to be our main aim. It will be a difficult week but whoever desires it the most will get the win next week."

Intensity Must to Increase in Domestic Competition

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

However Wane argues that the quality of the Australian league - and standard of the State of Origin matches between NSW and QLD - offer a superior grounding for performing at the top of the international game than what is available in the Europe.

The England coach added that the congested Super League calendar left no time for him to work with his players during the season, which will only pose additional concerns around how the national team can narrow the difference to the Kangaroos before heading to the Southern Hemisphere in the next World Cup.

"They play a large number of Test matches in their competition," Wane added.

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

"It was impossible to even practice with the players. There was no chance to got on the field in the campaign and despite having the total cooperation of all clubs in the domestic competition.

"I understand in the boots of the club managers that must to win games. The league is that congested. It's a pity but that's not the cause we were defeated today."