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England's attacking frailties were laid bare and capitalized on by a clinical Australia as the visitors secured a surprisingly comfortable victory in the first match of the Ashes.

The England coach'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 endeavour at the famous stadium. However, in the crucial moments, it was the world champions who displayed more composure in front of a record attendance for an series match in the UK of over sixty thousand spectators.

Outstanding Performance from Reece Walsh

Led by an outstanding display in attack and defence from Brisbane Broncos’ Walsh, the Kangaroos were deserving and convincing victors in the first match of the three-match series, meaning the hosts must win at Goodison Park next Saturday to keep alive 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 first half, the hosts found themselves in advantageous situations but they were unable to cross for any points. That was in large measure thanks to Walsh, who pulled off two superb interceptions.

Key Moments of the Game

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

Cleary converted before kicking a two-pointer on the brink of the interval to open up a eight-point advantage. It was a pivotal moment, as was the try for Angus Crichton soon after the restart which made it 14-0 in favour of the Kangaroos. The hosts now had to score three times and that seemed to stifle their momentum.

Should there have been uncertainty about the victors, they were firmly put to bed with 15 minutes to go. Cameron Munster’s half-break was backed up by Angus Crichton, who pushed past Jack Welsby for Australia’s third try.

That made it 20-0 and there was further humiliation in the final minutes as Walsh completed another breathtaking move, exploiting a tired and visibly shot England defensive line for his second try.

Match Result and Outlook

By then, home fans had begun to leave early and many did not see Daryl Clark’s late try, which at least prevented the home side finishing scoreless. 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.
• Substitutes: Litten, Walmsley, Trout, McMeeken.
• Tries: Clark.
• Goal: Lewis.

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