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England's offensive weaknesses were laid bare and capitalized on by a ruthless Australian side as the tourists secured a surprisingly comfortable victory in the first match of the rugby league Ashes series.

The England coach's team had talked at length about their drive going into the first Ashes for 22 years, and they were certainly not short on effort at the famous stadium. However, in the crucial moments, it was the world champions who showed more calmness in front of a historic crowd for an Ashes Test in the UK of over sixty thousand spectators.

Outstanding Performance from Walsh

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

They will have to be much better with the possession if they are to accomplish that goal. On multiple occasions in the first half, the home team found themselves in advantageous situations but they were unable to cross for any tries. That was in no small part thanks to Reece Walsh, who pulled off two superb turnovers.

Key Moments of the Match

The initial occurred as Farnworth seemed destined to put Dom Young in for what would have been the first score, then the fullback denied Mikey Lewis as the break neared. By then, the Kangaroos had gone ahead as Walsh himself completed a excellent move.

Nathan Cleary converted before kicking a two-pointer on the brink of the interval to open up a eight-point lead. It was a pivotal moment, as was the try for Crichton soon after the resumption which made it fourteen to nil in favor of the visitors. The hosts now had to cross the line thrice and that seemed to stifle their drive.

Should there have been uncertainty about the winners, they were decisively settled with 15 minutes 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 20-0 and there was further humiliation in the final minutes as Walsh completed another scintillating move, taking advantage of a weary and visibly shot England defense for his second try.

Final Score and Looking Ahead

By then, home fans had begun to leave early and many did not see Daryl Clark’s consolation, which at least avoided the home side being held to nil. However, there are many issues for the coach to answer going into what is now a must-win match next weekend.

• Home Side: Welsby; Young, Farnworth, Wardle, Johnstone; Williams, Lewis; Havard, Clark, Lees, Bateman, Pearce-Paul, Knowles.
• Substitutes: Litten, Walmsley, Trout, McMeeken.
• Try: Clark.
• Conversion: Mikey Lewis.

• Visitors: Starting lineup.
• Bench: Dearden, Collins, Cotter, Koloamatangi.
• Tries: Reece Walsh (two), Angus Crichton (two).
• Kicks: Cleary 5.