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In the words of leader the England captain, England were given a stark "sobering lesson" as the Kangaroos secured the coveted Ashes trophy.

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

The national squad had come into the series harbouring hopes of sending Australia to their initial series loss since over five decades ago.

Recently, they had secured a 3-0 series win over Tonga and a 2-0 triumph over Samoa. But as the historic rivalry resumed after a two-decade hiatus, the English were failed to take the next step against the reigning title holders.

"We take full responsibility. There were enough preparations to get it right on the pitch, and it's clear we've achieved that," Williams stated.

"Full marks to the Kangaroos. They were excellent defensively. But there's plenty to improve. It seems not as prepared as we thought we were going into this series.

"This serves as a necessary lesson for us, and [there is] loads to improve on."

Australia 'Turn Up and Are Ruthless'

Having been soundly beaten in an sloppy showing at Wembley, Wane side's were markedly enhanced on Saturday back in the core regions of northern England.

During an energetic first half, England elicited errors from the Australians and had all the field position and possession, but unfortunately did not make it count on the points tally.

Significantly, the English team have now scored just one score over two full matches, with St Helens hooker Daryl Clark powering through late on in the setback in the capital.

Conversely, Australia have accumulated six in two games - and when blunders began to affect the England's play just after the half-time, it was a case of certainty, they were going to be severely punished.

Initially Cameron Munster went over, and then so too did Hudson Young. From being level at four-all, the home side were trailing by 10.

"Satisfied for the bulk of the game. I thought for most of the match we were competitive," said Wane.

"The lapse for 10 minutes after the break cost us greatly. Munster's try was avoidable and should not be scored in a Test match.

"The team is deeply disappointed. So proud the players had a dig but so disappointed with that second-half lapse, which proved costly heavily."

While the upcoming global tournament in Australia and Papua New Guinea is just under 12 months away, England's short-term goal will be on attempting to restore some pride, avoiding a clean sweep and addressing the errors that frustrated the coach.

"I wanted to see additional intensity thrown at the opposition. I wanted us to maintain momentum in the game - we fell short last week," added the 61-year-old.

"We managed this week. It's just a minor refinements in our offensive play where we could have put them under greater stress. It's essential to stop each of [tries] with greater resolve.

"Credit to the Kangaroos - that is no detriment to them. They turn up and are ruthless when they seize opportunities, and we weren't, but defensively we must do improve.

"The Australians will be determined to win 3-0 and we need to be obsessed to make it 2-1. I've said that to the players. It has to be our primary goal. It's going to be a challenging week but whoever wants it the most will secure victory next week."

Competitive Edge Must to Improve in Domestic Competition

The English side have played a similar number of Test matches to Australia since the previous global tournament in recent years.

However the coach thinks that the quality of the NRL - and quality of the State of Origin matches between NSW and QLD - provide a superior preparation for performing at the highest level of the global stage than what is available in the Europe.

Wane commented that the hectic Super League fixture schedule allowed little opportunity for him to train his squad during the season, which will only raise more issues around how England can bridge the gap to the Kangaroos before travelling to Oceania in the next World Cup.

"The Australians participate in a lot of Test matches in their league," Wane stated.

"We play 10-15 a year. We need demanding games to enhance the competition and boost our chances of winning these high-stakes fixtures.

"I couldn't even train with the squad. There was no chance to trained together in the season and I had the complete support of everyone in the domestic competition.

"I understand in the shoes of the head coaches that need to win games. The competition is that congested. It's unfortunate but that's not the reason we got beaten today."