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England's offensive weaknesses were laid bare and capitalized on by a clinical Australian side as the tourists secured a worryingly straightforward victory in the first match of the rugby league Ashes series.

Shaun Wane’s side had talked at length about their motivation going into the first Ashes for 22 years, and they were certainly not short on effort at the famous stadium. Yet, 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 UK of over sixty thousand spectators.

Outstanding Performance from Reece Walsh

Guided by an outstanding showing in attack and defence from club star Walsh, the Kangaroos were deserving and convincing winners in the opening Test of the three-game contest, meaning England must triumph at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium next weekend to sustain their aspirations of a series victory since 1970.

England will have to be much better with the ball if they are to achieve that. On several instances in the first half, the home team found themselves in advantageous situations but they were failed to score for any tries. That was in large measure thanks to Walsh, who executed two wonderful interceptions.

Key Moments of the Game

The initial came as Herbie Farnworth seemed certain to put Young in for what would have been the opening try, then the fullback stopped Lewis as the break neared. By then, the Kangaroos had gone ahead as Reece Walsh himself completed a excellent move.

Nathan Cleary added the extras before kicking a two-pointer on the stroke of half-time to open up a eight-point lead. It was a pivotal point, as was the score for Angus Crichton shortly after the resumption which made it fourteen to nil in favor of the Kangaroos. England now had to cross the line thrice and that seemed to stifle their drive.

Should there have been uncertainty about the victors, they were decisively settled with a quarter-hour to go. Cameron Munster’s half-break was backed up by Angus Crichton, who pushed past Jack Welsby for the Kangaroos' third score.

That made it 20-0 and there was further humiliation in the closing stages as Reece Walsh completed another breathtaking move, exploiting a tired and visibly shot English defensive line for his second.

Match Result and Outlook

By then, home fans had begun to leave early and many did not see Daryl Clark’s late try, which at least prevented England being held to nil. Nonetheless, there are many issues for Wane to address going into what is now a do-or-die Test next Saturday.

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

• Australia: Walsh; Nawaqanitawase, Staggs, Shibasaki, Addo-Carr; Munster, Cleary; Carrigan, Grant, Fa’asuamaleaui, Crichton, Young, Yeo.
• Bench: Reserves.
• Scores: Walsh 2, Crichton 2.
• Goals: Cleary 5.