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The home side's attacking frailties were exposed and punished by a clinical Australian side as the tourists swept to a surprisingly comfortable victory in the opening Test of the Ashes.

The England coach's side had talked at length about their drive going into the opening series for over two decades, and they were certainly not short on effort at Wembley. However, in the crucial moments, it was the reigning title holders who displayed more composure in front of a record attendance for an series match in the United Kingdom of more than 60,000.

Outstanding Display from Walsh

Guided by an outstanding display in attack and defence from Brisbane Broncos’ Walsh, Australia were deserving and convincing victors in the opening Test of the three-match series, meaning England must triumph at Goodison Park next weekend to sustain their hopes of a first Ashes win since the 1970s.

England will have to be significantly improved with the ball if they are to accomplish that goal. On multiple occasions in the opening period, the hosts found themselves in advantageous situations but they were unable to cross for any tries. That was in large measure thanks to Walsh, who pulled off two wonderful turnovers.

Crucial Plays of the Match

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

Cleary added the extras before adding a two-pointer on the brink of the interval to establish a two-score lead. It was a significant moment, as was the try for Angus Crichton soon after the restart which made it 14-0 in favor of the visitors. The hosts now had to cross the line thrice and that seemed to halt their momentum.

Should there have been uncertainty about the winners, they were firmly put to bed with a quarter-hour to go. Munster's line break was backed up by Angus 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 Reece Walsh completed another scintillating attack, exploiting a tired and visibly shot England defensive line for his second try.

Final Score and Outlook

By then, home fans had begun to leave early and many missed Daryl Clark’s late try, which at least prevented England being held to nil. However, there are plenty of questions for Wane to address going into what is now a must-win match next weekend.

• England: Welsby; Young, Farnworth, Wardle, Johnstone; Williams, Lewis; Havard, Clark, Lees, Bateman, Pearce-Paul, Knowles.
• Interchange: Bench players.
• Try: Clark.
• Conversion: Mikey Lewis.

• Visitors: Starting lineup.
• Interchange: Dearden, Collins, Cotter, Koloamatangi.
• Scores: Walsh 2, Crichton 2.
• Kicks: Cleary 5.