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As stated by leader George Williams, England were given a harsh "sobering lesson" as the Kangaroos clinched the prestigious series.

The Kangaroos' decisive 14-4 win at the Merseyside venue on the weekend gave them a commanding series edge, making next week's sold-out third Test a meaningless fixture.

The national squad had come into the series dreaming of sending the Kangaroos to their initial series loss since over five decades ago.

Recently, they had enjoyed a 3-0 series win over the Tongan side and a series win over Samoa. But as the prestigious competition resumed after a long break, England were failed to make the leap against the top-ranked team.

"We take full responsibility. There were enough preparations to execute properly on the field, and it's clear we've achieved that," Williams commented.

"Credit to Australia. They proved strong in defense. But there's plenty to improve. We're probably not as strong as we thought we were entering this series.

"So it's a necessary lesson for us, and we have plenty to improve on."

The Kangaroos 'Arrive and Are Clinical'

Having been comprehensively defeated in an mistake-ridden performance at the national stadium, England's were markedly enhanced on Saturday back in the core regions of England's north.

During an energetic initial stages, the home side caused turnovers from the Australians and had dominant territory and possession, but importantly did not make it count on the scoreboard.

Notably, the English team have now scored just a single touchdown over 160 minutes, with St Helens hooker the forward powering through late on in the setback in the capital.

Conversely, Australia have scored half a dozen across the series - and when mistakes began to creep into the hosts' play just after the half-time, it was a case of inevitability, they were going to be made to pay.

Initially the playmaker crossed, and then so too did the forward. From being level at 4-4, England were down by double digits.

"Satisfied for the majority of the game. I thought for most of the match we were competitive," said Wane.

"The switch off for a brief period after the break hurt us greatly. The first try was avoidable and should not be scored in a top-level game.

"The team is devastated. So proud the squad had a dig but very frustrated with that after half-time, which cost us heavily."

Although the upcoming global tournament in Oceania is just under a year from now, England's immediate focus will be on attempting to salvage honor, preventing a series whitewash and eliminating the mistakes that annoyed Wane.

"I wanted to see additional intensity directed toward the opposition. My aim was us to maintain momentum in the game - we failed to deliver last week," added the veteran coach.

"We managed this week. The issue is a minor refinements in our offensive play where we could have applied under greater stress. It's essential to defend both [tries] more effectively.

"Fair play to the Kangaroos - that is not a criticism to them. They arrive and are merciless when they seize opportunities, and we weren't, but in defense we must do improve.

"The Australians will be obsessed to win 3-0 and we need to be just as focused to make it 2-1. I've said that to the squad. This must become our obsession. It will be a tough week but the side that strives for it the most will emerge victorious next week."

Intensity Must to Elevate in Super League

England have participated in a comparable number of international fixtures to the Kangaroos since the previous global tournament in recent years.

However Wane argues that the strength of the NRL - and level of the domestic rivalry matches between New South Wales and Queensland - deliver a superior grounding for performing at the highest level of the global stage than what is available in the UK.

The England coach commented that the hectic domestic league calendar allowed little opportunity for him to train his players during the campaign, which will only pose additional concerns around how the national team can bridge the gap to the Kangaroos before travelling to Oceania in the next World Cup.

"The Australians play a lot of Test matches in their league," Wane added.

"England have 10-15 a year. We need demanding games to improve the competition and increase our chances of succeeding in these types of matches.

"It was impossible to even practice with the squad. There was no chance to got on the field in the campaign and despite having the complete support of everyone in Super League.

"I have also been in the boots of the club managers that must to win games. The competition is that tight. It's a pity but that's not the reason we were defeated today."