Kangaroos wrap up Ashes series in match in England

The two teams exchanged penalty goals and ended the half-time ahead 4-4, but England took the lead.

There was a major change of attitude for Shaun Wane’s men ahead of the third Test at Headingley that would leave the crowd of 52,106 confident of leveling the series.

But Australia had other ideas and managed to score the opening try of the match through Cameron Munster, who edged England into an 8-4 advantage.

Playing in front of girlfriend Mary Fowler and her family, Cleary kicked the rebound, leading to Hudson Young crossing for the easiest four-pointer. Cleary then increased the lead to 14-4 midway through the second half.

The game was turned on its head when Reece Walsh was sent to the sin bin for killing Dom Young in the air while tackling a bomb with 14 minutes remaining.

The controversial decision sparked the loudest cheers of the afternoon, with locals admonishing Walsh as he made his way to the sideline.

Unlike NRL games, where players enter the tunnel when boarded, Walsh took his place on the bench and was subjected to absolute bombardment from the locals.

They teased him about his painted nails, but the Australian turned and smiled, then cracked a cheeky joke that even England fans enjoyed. Hudson Young then stepped in, pointing at the scoreboard.

Later, when the speaker declared Cameron Munster man of the match, the England fans behind the Australian dugout could not resist one final crack.

“If they want six, give them Bevan French,” he shouted. “Never heard of Munster. Damn.”

The scoreline was begging to be different.

Michael Chammas and Andrew “Joey” Johns discuss the upcoming NRL tour as well as the latest football news, results and analysis. Sign up for the Sin Bin newsletter.