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As stated by skipper George Williams, the national team were handed a harsh "wake-up call" as the Kangaroos secured the prestigious series.

The Kangaroos' decisive 14-4 win at the stadium in Liverpool on the weekend gave them a unassailable 2-0 advantage, making the upcoming final match in Leeds a academic contest.

The England team had entered the series harbouring hopes of inflicting the Kangaroos to their initial series loss since over five decades ago.

In the past two years, they had enjoyed a clean sweep over Tonga and a 2-0 triumph over the Samoan team. But as the prestigious competition resumed after a 22-year absence, the English were unable to make the leap against the reigning title holders.

"We take full responsibility. There were enough training periods to get it right on the field, and I don't think we've achieved that," Williams stated.

"Credit to Australia. They proved excellent in defense. But there's a lot to address. It seems not as prepared as we thought we were going into this series.

"This serves as a valuable lesson for us, and [there is] loads to enhance."

Australia 'Arrive and Are Ruthless'

After being comprehensively defeated in an sloppy showing at Wembley, England's were significantly better on Saturday back in the core regions of the North.

In an inspiring initial stages, England forced mistakes from the Australians and had superior positioning and possession, but crucially did not capitalize on the scoreboard.

Significantly, England have now managed just one try over the series so far, with player the forward powering through late on in the setback in the capital.

In contrast, Australia have accumulated six across the series - and when blunders began to creep into the hosts' play just after the half-time, it was a case of when, not if, they were going to be made to pay.

Initially the playmaker scored, and then so too did the forward. From being tied at 4-4, England were down by double digits.

"Proud for the majority of the game. In my view for most of the match we were competitive," said the coach.

"The switch off for a brief period after the break damaged us greatly. The first try was soft and should never happen in a Test match.

"We're heartbroken. Extremely pleased the players had a dig but so disappointed with that after half-time, which proved costly heavily."

While the next World Cup in the Southern Hemisphere is just under 12 months away, the team's short-term goal will be on attempting to restore some pride, preventing a clean sweep and addressing the mistakes that frustrated Wane.

"I hoped to see additional intensity directed toward the opposition. My aim was us to apply sustained attack in the game - we failed to deliver last week," added the 61-year-old.

"We managed this week. It's just a bit of detail in our attack where we could have applied under more pressure. We need to stop each of [tries] more effectively.

"Credit to the Kangaroos - that is no slight to them. They turn up and are ruthless when they capitalize, and we weren't, but in defense we must do enhance.

"The Australians will be determined to win 3-0 and we need to be just as focused to make it a respectable scoreline. I've said that to the squad. It has to be our primary goal. It's going to be a challenging week but the side that desires it the greatest will get the win next week."

Competitive Edge Needs to Increase in Domestic Competition

England have participated in a similar number of international fixtures to Australia since the last World Cup in 2022.

Yet Wane argues that the quality of the NRL - and quality of the State of Origin matches between New South Wales and Queensland - offer a much better preparation for competing at the highest level of the international game than what is available in the UK.

Wane added that the congested Super League calendar allowed no time for him to coach his players during the campaign, which will only pose additional concerns around how the national team can close the divide to the Kangaroos before travelling to the Southern Hemisphere in 2026.

"The Australians participate in a large number of Test matches in their competition," Wane added.

"We have 10-15 a year. It's crucial really intense games to enhance the competition and boost our chances of succeeding in these high-stakes fixtures.

"It was impossible to even train with the squad. We never got on the field in the season and I had the full backing of all clubs in Super League.

"I have also been in the position of the club managers that need to win games. The league is that packed. It's a pity but that's not the reason we were defeated today."