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England's attacking frailties were exposed and punished by a ruthless Australia as the tourists secured a worryingly straightforward win in the first match of the rugby league Ashes series.

Shaun Wane’s team had spoken effusively about their drive going into the opening series for 22 years, and they were certainly not short on effort at Wembley. Yet, in the key instances, it was the world champions who showed more calmness in front of a record attendance for an series match in the United Kingdom of more than 60,000.

Brilliant Performance from Walsh

Led by an outstanding display in offense and defense from club star Reece Walsh, the Kangaroos were worthy and comfortable victors in the first match of the three-game contest, meaning the hosts must triumph at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium next Saturday to keep alive their aspirations of a first Ashes win since 1970.

England will have to be significantly improved with the ball if they are to achieve that. On multiple occasions in the first half, the hosts found themselves in promising positions but they were unable to cross for any tries. That was in large measure thanks to Reece Walsh, who executed two superb interceptions.

Key Moments of the Game

The first came as Farnworth seemed destined to put Dom Young in for what would have been the opening try, then the fullback stopped Mikey Lewis as the break neared. By then, the Kangaroos had gone ahead as Walsh himself finished a excellent play.

Nathan Cleary added the extras before adding a two-pointer on the brink of half-time to establish a eight-point advantage. It was a pivotal point, as was the score for Crichton shortly after the restart which made it 14-0 in favor of the Kangaroos. The hosts now had to score three times and that seemed to stifle their drive.

Should there have been uncertainty about the winners, they were firmly put to bed with a quarter-hour to go. Cameron Munster’s line break was supported by Angus Crichton, who pushed past Jack Welsby for the Kangaroos' third score.

That made it 20-0 and there was added disappointment in the closing stages as Walsh finished another breathtaking move, exploiting a tired and visibly shot England defense for his second.

Final Score and Looking Ahead

By then, home fans had begun to filter out and many missed Clark's consolation, which at least prevented the home side finishing scoreless. Nonetheless, there are many issues for Wane to answer going into what is now a must-win Test next weekend.

• Home Side: Full team lineup.
• Interchange: Bench players.
• Try: Daryl Clark.
• Goal: Mikey Lewis.

• Australia: Walsh; Nawaqanitawase, Staggs, Shibasaki, Addo-Carr; Munster, Cleary; Carrigan, Grant, Fa’asuamaleaui, Crichton, Young, Yeo.
• Interchange: Reserves.
• Scores: Walsh 2, Crichton 2.
• Kicks: Cleary 5.