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England's offensive weaknesses were laid bare and capitalized on by a ruthless Australian side as the visitors swept to a worryingly straightforward win in the first match of the rugby league Ashes series.

The England coach's side had talked at length about their motivation going into the opening series for over two decades, and they were certainly not short on effort at Wembley. Yet, in the key instances, it was the world champions who displayed more calmness in front of a record attendance for an series match in the United Kingdom of more than 60,000.

Outstanding Performance from Reece Walsh

Guided by an outstanding showing in attack and defence from club star Walsh, the Kangaroos were deserving and convincing victors in the opening Test of the three-game contest, meaning the hosts must win at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium next Saturday to sustain their aspirations of a first Ashes win since 1970.

They will have to be much better with the possession if they are to achieve that. On several instances in the opening period, the home team found themselves in advantageous situations but they were failed to score for any points. That was in large measure thanks to Reece Walsh, who pulled off two superb interceptions.

Crucial Plays of the Match

The initial occurred as Farnworth seemed destined to put Young in for what would have been the opening try, then the fullback stopped Mikey Lewis as the break approached. By then, the Australians had taken the lead as Walsh himself completed a wonderful play.

Cleary converted before kicking a two-pointer on the stroke of the interval to open up a two-score lead. It was a pivotal moment, as was the try for Angus Crichton shortly after the restart which made it 14-0 in favor of the visitors. England now had to cross the line thrice and that seemed to stifle their drive.

If there were any doubt about the winners, they were decisively settled with a quarter-hour to go. Cameron Munster’s line break was backed up by Angus Crichton, who broke through Jack Welsby for Australia’s third try.

That made it 20-0 and there was added disappointment in the final minutes as Walsh completed another breathtaking move, taking advantage of a tired and visibly shot English defense for his second.

Match Result and Outlook

By then, home fans had begun to filter out and many did not see Clark's late try, which at least avoided England finishing scoreless. Nonetheless, there are many issues for the coach to answer going into what is now a do-or-die match next weekend.

• Home Side: Full team lineup.
• Substitutes: Litten, Walmsley, Trout, McMeeken.
• Try: Daryl Clark.
• Goal: Lewis.

• Australia: Starting lineup.
• Bench: Dearden, Collins, Cotter, Koloamatangi.
• Tries: Reece Walsh (two), Angus Crichton (two).
• Kicks: Nathan Cleary (five).