Rugby League Ashes: England series defeat by Australia is ‘reality check’
Wane’s side, soundly beaten in an error-filled display at Wembley, fared much better on Saturday in the rugby league heart of northern England.
In a thrilling opening period England forced the Kangaroos into making mistakes and did not account for it on the scoreboard despite having all the field position and possession.
Interestingly, England scored just one try throughout the 160 minutes, with St Helens hooker Daryl Clark diving late in the defeat in London.
By contrast, Australia had six wins from two matches – and when errors began to creep into the home team’s play just after the break, it was a case of when, not if, they would be severely punished.
First Cameron Munster went, then so did Hudson Young. England, at 4-4, were 10 points behind.
“I was proud of most of the game. I thought we were good for 70 minutes,” Wane said.
“The 10-minute half-time break hurt us tremendously. Munster’s first try was soft and should not have been scored in a Test match.
“We were devastated. We were proud of the players’ dig but after half-time we were disappointed and it cost us dearly.”
With the next World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea less than 12 months away, England’s immediate focus will be on trying to restore pride, avoid a series of upsets and eliminate the mistakes that have plagued Wane.
The 61-year-old player added, “I wanted to see more attacks against Australia. I wanted us to create pressure in the game, we couldn’t do that last week.”
“We did that this week. It was a detail in our offense where we could put them under more pressure. We need to defend both of them. [tries] better.
“Fair play to Australia, it doesn’t hurt them. They come out and are ruthless when they get the chance, we weren’t, but defensively we can and must do better.”
“They will be obsessed with winning 3-0, we need to be obsessed with winning 2-1. I told the players this too. This should be our obsession. It will be a difficult week, but whoever wants it the most will get the win next week.”
