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England's attacking frailties were exposed and punished by a ruthless Australian side as the tourists secured a surprisingly comfortable win in the opening Test of the Ashes.

Shaun Wane’s team 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 the famous stadium. Yet, in the crucial moments, it was the world champions who showed more calmness in front of a historic crowd for an series match in the UK of over sixty thousand spectators.

Outstanding Performance from Walsh

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

They will have to be much better with the ball 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 executed two superb interceptions.

Key Moments of the Game

The initial came as Farnworth seemed destined to put Young in for what would have been the first score, then Walsh stopped Mikey Lewis as half-time neared. By then, the Kangaroos had gone ahead as Reece Walsh himself completed a wonderful play.

Cleary converted before adding a penalty on the brink of the interval to establish a two-score lead. It was a pivotal moment, as was the score for Crichton soon after the resumption which made it fourteen to nil in favor of the Kangaroos. The hosts now had to cross the line thrice and that seemed to stifle their drive.

If there were any doubt about the winners, they were firmly put to bed with a quarter-hour to go. Munster's half-break was supported by Crichton, who pushed past Jack Welsby for the Kangaroos' third score.

That made it twenty to zero and there was added disappointment in the final minutes as Walsh completed another breathtaking move, exploiting a weary and visibly shot English defense for his second try.

Match Result and Looking Ahead

By then, home fans had begun to filter out and many missed Clark's late try, which at least avoided England being held to nil. Nonetheless, there are plenty of questions for Wane to answer going into what is now a must-win Test next Saturday.

• England: Full team lineup.
• Interchange: Bench players.
• Tries: Daryl Clark.
• Goal: Lewis.

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