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England's attacking frailties were laid bare and capitalized on by a clinical Australia as the visitors swept to a worryingly straightforward victory in the first match of the rugby league Ashes series.

Shaun Wane’s team had talked at length about their motivation going into the first Ashes for over two decades, and they were definitely full of endeavour at Wembley. However, in the key instances, it was the reigning title holders who showed more composure in front of a historic crowd for an series match in the UK of over sixty thousand spectators.

Brilliant Performance from Walsh

Led by an outstanding display in offense and defense from Brisbane Broncos’ Reece Walsh, the Kangaroos were deserving and convincing victors in the first match of the three-game contest, meaning England must win at Goodison Park next weekend to sustain their hopes of a first Ashes win since the 1970s.

England will have to be much better with the possession if they are to achieve that. On several instances in the first half, the hosts found themselves in advantageous situations but they were unable to cross for any tries. That was in large measure thanks to Walsh, who pulled off two superb interceptions.

Key Moments of the Match

The initial came as Herbie Farnworth seemed certain to put Young in for what would have been the first score, then Walsh denied Mikey Lewis as the break approached. By then, the Australians had taken the lead as Walsh himself completed a excellent move.

Nathan Cleary added the extras before kicking a penalty on the stroke of the interval to establish a eight-point advantage. It was a pivotal point, as was the try for Angus Crichton shortly after the restart which made it fourteen to nil in favour of the Kangaroos. The hosts now had to score three times and that seemed to stifle their drive.

If there were any doubt about the victors, they were decisively settled with a quarter-hour to go. Cameron Munster’s line break was supported by Angus Crichton, who pushed past Welsby for Australia’s third try.

That made it twenty to zero and there was added disappointment in the closing stages as Reece Walsh completed another breathtaking move, exploiting a tired and visibly shot England defense for his second.

Match Result and Looking Ahead

By then, home fans had begun to filter out and many missed Clark's consolation, which at least prevented the home side being held to nil. Nonetheless, there are plenty of questions for Wane to answer going into what is now a must-win Test next weekend.

• England: Welsby; Young, Farnworth, Wardle, Johnstone; Williams, Lewis; Havard, Clark, Lees, Bateman, Pearce-Paul, Knowles.
• Substitutes: Litten, Walmsley, Trout, McMeeken.
• Try: Clark.
• Conversion: Lewis.

• Visitors: Walsh; Nawaqanitawase, Staggs, Shibasaki, Addo-Carr; Munster, Cleary; Carrigan, Grant, Fa’asuamaleaui, Crichton, Young, Yeo.
• Interchange: Dearden, Collins, Cotter, Koloamatangi.
• Scores: Reece Walsh (two), Angus Crichton (two).
• Goals: Cleary 5.