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According to skipper George Williams, the national team were handed a stark "wake-up call" as the Kangaroos secured the prestigious series.

The Kangaroos' decisive 14-4 win at the Merseyside venue on Saturday gave them a 2-0 series lead, making the upcoming sold-out third Test a academic contest.

The national squad had entered the series dreaming of sending the Kangaroos to their maiden Ashes setback since the 1970s.

In the past two years, they had achieved a 3-0 series win over the Tongan side and a 2-0 triumph over the Samoan team. But as the Rugby League Ashes resumed after a 22-year absence, the English were unable to take the next step against the reigning title holders.

"We take full responsibility. We've had enough sessions to execute properly on the field, and I don't think we've achieved that," Williams commented.

"Credit to Australia. They proved strong in defense. But we've got loads to address. We're probably not as strong as we believed we were entering this series.

"This serves as a good reality check for us, and [there is] loads to enhance."

The Kangaroos 'Turn Up and Prove Merciless'

After being heavily outplayed in an sloppy showing at Wembley, England's were markedly enhanced on the weekend back in the rugby league heartlands of the North.

In an inspiring initial stages, the home side elicited errors from the Australians and had superior positioning and ball control, but crucially did not capitalize on the scoreboard.

Notably, England have now managed just one try over 160 minutes, with player Daryl Clark scoring late on in the setback in London.

On the other hand, Australia have accumulated six across the series - and when errors began to affect the hosts' play just after the half-time, it was a case of when, not if, they were going to be severely punished.

First the playmaker went over, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being level at 4-4, England were down by double digits.

"Satisfied for the majority of the game. In my view for most of the match we were good," said Wane.

"The drop in intensity for 10 minutes after the break cost us severely. The first try was soft and should not be scored in a top-level game.

"The team is heartbroken. Extremely pleased the squad had a fight but so disappointed with that second-half lapse, which cost us significantly."

While the next World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea is just under next year, England's primary concern will be on attempting to restore some pride, avoiding a clean sweep and eradicating the errors that annoyed Wane.

"I hoped to see additional intensity thrown at Australia. I wanted us to build pressure in the game - we fell short last week," added the veteran coach.

"We did this week. The issue is a bit of detail in our attack where we could have applied under more pressure. It's essential to defend both [tries] more effectively.

"Fair play to Australia - that is no slight to them. They perform and are merciless when they capitalize, and we weren't, but defensively we must do better.

"They will be focused to win 3-0 and we need to be equally determined to make it a respectable scoreline. I've told that to the players. This must become our primary goal. It's going to be a difficult week but whoever strives for it the greatest will get the win next week."

Competitive Edge Needs to Improve in Super League

England have played a comparable number of Test matches to the Kangaroos since the last World Cup in recent years.

Yet Wane believes that the quality of the NRL - and standard of the domestic rivalry matches between NSW and Queensland - deliver a much better preparation for competing at the top of the global stage than what is available in the northern hemisphere.

Wane added that the congested domestic league fixture schedule allowed little opportunity for him to train his players during the season, which will only pose additional concerns around how England can bridge the gap to Australia before travelling to Oceania in the next World Cup.

"The Australians play a large number of Test matches in their competition," he remarked.

"We have ten to fifteen a year. We need really intense games to enhance the competition and increase our prospects of winning these types of matches.

"It was impossible to even practice with the squad. We never trained together in the season and I had the full backing of all clubs in Super League.

"I understand in the position of the head coaches that need to win games. The league is that packed. It's unfortunate but it's not the cause we were defeated today."