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As stated by skipper the England captain, the national team were given a brutal "sobering lesson" as the Kangaroos secured the Rugby League Ashes.

Australia's 14-4 triumph at the stadium in Liverpool on the weekend gave them a 2-0 series lead, making the upcoming final match in Leeds a meaningless fixture.

Shaun Wane's side had entered the series harbouring hopes of inflicting the Kangaroos to their first Ashes series defeat since the 1970s.

Over the last 24 months, they had achieved a dominant victory over Tonga and a 2-0 triumph over Samoa. But as the historic rivalry resumed after a 22-year absence, England were unable to make the leap against the top-ranked team.

"No excuses from us. There were enough training periods to get it right on the pitch, and it's clear we've quite done that," Williams told.

"Full marks to the Kangaroos. They were excellent in defense. But we've got plenty to work on. It seems not as strong as we expected we were going into this series.

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

Australia 'Show Up and Are Clinical'

Having been comprehensively defeated in an error-strewn display at the national stadium, Wane side's were significantly better on the weekend back in the traditional strongholds of the North.

In an inspiring initial stages, England caused turnovers from the Kangaroos and had all the field position and possession, but unfortunately did not convert opportunities on the points tally.

Tellingly, the English team have now scored just one try over two full matches, with player Daryl Clark powering through late on in the loss in London.

Conversely, the Kangaroos have racked up six so far - and when errors began to appear in the hosts' play just after the half-time, it was a case of inevitability, they were going to be severely punished.

Initially Cameron Munster scored, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being tied at four-all, England were 10 points adrift.

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

"The switch off for a brief period after half-time hurt us severely. Munster's try was easy and should never happen in a international fixture.

"The team is deeply disappointed. So proud the players had a dig but so disappointed with that post-interval, which proved costly significantly."

While the upcoming global tournament in Oceania is just under a year from now, England's primary concern will be on trying to restore some pride, preventing a series whitewash and addressing the errors that frustrated Wane.

"I hoped to see greater effort thrown at Australia. I wanted us to build pressure in the game - we fell short last week," added the 61-year-old.

"We managed this week. The issue is a lack of precision in our offense where we could have applied under increased strain. It's essential to stop each of [tries] better.

"Fair play to the Kangaroos - that is no slight to them. They perform and are clinical when they get a chance, and we failed to be, but in defense we can and should do improve.

"The Australians will be determined to win the series whitewash and we need to be obsessed to make it 2-1. I've told that to the squad. It has to be our main aim. It's going to be a difficult week but whoever strives for it the greatest will secure victory next week."

Competitive Edge Needs to Improve in Domestic Competition

The English side have participated in a similar number of international fixtures to the Kangaroos since the previous global tournament in recent years.

However Wane argues that the caliber of the Australian league - and level of the State of Origin matches between New South Wales and Queensland - offer a more effective preparation for competing at the top of the international game than what is available in the Europe.

The England coach added that the congested Super League calendar allowed no time for him to coach his team during the season, which will only raise additional concerns around how the national team can close the divide to Australia before travelling to Oceania in the next World Cup.

"They participate in a lot of Test matches in their league," Wane added.

"England have ten to fifteen a year. It's crucial highly competitive games to improve the competition and boost our prospects of succeeding in these sorts of games.

"I couldn't even practice with the players. We never trained together in the campaign and despite having 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 tight. It's a pity but that's not the cause we got beaten today."