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England's offensive weaknesses were laid bare and capitalized on by a ruthless Australia as the visitors secured a worryingly straightforward victory in the opening Test of the rugby league Ashes series.

Shaun Wane’s side had talked at length about their drive going into the opening series for 22 years, and they were certainly not short on endeavour at the famous stadium. Yet, in the key instances, it was the world champions who showed more calmness in front of a historic crowd for an series match in the United Kingdom of more than 60,000.

Brilliant Display from Reece Walsh

Guided by an outstanding display in attack and defence from club star Reece Walsh, the Kangaroos were deserving and convincing winners in the first match of the three-game contest, meaning England must win at Goodison Park next weekend to keep alive their aspirations of a first Ashes win since 1970.

England will have to be much better with the possession if they are to accomplish that goal. On multiple occasions in the opening period, the hosts found themselves in promising positions but they were unable to cross for any points. That was in no small part thanks to Walsh, who executed two superb turnovers.

Crucial Plays of the Game

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

Nathan Cleary converted before kicking a two-pointer on the brink of half-time to open up a two-score 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 visitors. The hosts now had to score three times and that seemed to stifle their momentum.

If there were any doubt about the victors, they were decisively settled with 15 minutes to go. Cameron Munster’s line break was backed up by Angus Crichton, who broke through Welsby for the Kangaroos' third score.

That made it 20-0 and there was added disappointment in the final minutes as Walsh finished another breathtaking attack, taking advantage of a tired and clearly exhausted England defense for his second.

Final Score and Looking Ahead

By then, local supporters had begun to leave early and many missed Clark's consolation, which at least avoided the home side being held to nil. Nonetheless, there are many issues for the coach to address going into what is now a must-win Test next Saturday.

• England: Full team lineup.
• Substitutes: Bench players.
• Try: Daryl Clark.
• Conversion: Mikey Lewis.

• Visitors: Starting lineup.
• Interchange: Reserves.
• Tries: Walsh 2, Crichton 2.
• Kicks: Cleary 5.