The home side's attacking frailties were laid bare and capitalized on by a ruthless Australian side as the visitors swept to a surprisingly comfortable victory in the opening Test of the Ashes.
Shaun Wane’s team had spoken effusively about their motivation going into the opening series for over two decades, and they were certainly not short on endeavour at Wembley. However, in the key instances, it was the world champions who displayed more composure in front of a historic crowd for an series match in the United Kingdom of more than 60,000.
Led by an exceptional display in offense and defense from club star Reece Walsh, Australia were deserving and convincing winners in the first match of the three-game contest, meaning England must triumph at Goodison Park next Saturday to keep alive their aspirations of a series victory since 1970.
England will have to be significantly improved with the possession if they are to accomplish that goal. On multiple occasions in the opening period, the hosts found themselves in advantageous situations but they were unable to cross for any tries. That was in large measure thanks to Reece Walsh, who executed two wonderful interceptions.
The initial occurred as Farnworth seemed certain to put Young in for what would have been the first score, then Walsh denied Lewis as the break neared. By then, the Australians had taken the lead as Walsh himself finished a excellent move.
Cleary converted before adding a penalty on the stroke of half-time to establish a eight-point lead. It was a pivotal moment, as was the score for Crichton soon after the restart which made it 14-0 in favour of the Kangaroos. The hosts now had to cross the line thrice and that seemed to stifle their drive.
Should there have been uncertainty about the winners, they were decisively settled with a quarter-hour to go. Cameron Munster’s half-break was supported by Angus Crichton, who broke through Welsby for the Kangaroos' third score.
That made it 20-0 and there was further humiliation in the closing stages as Reece Walsh finished another scintillating move, exploiting a tired and clearly exhausted English defense for his second try.
By then, local supporters had begun to filter out and many missed Clark's late try, which at least prevented England finishing scoreless. However, there are plenty of questions for the coach to answer going into what is now a must-win match next Saturday.
