England's offensive weaknesses were laid bare and capitalized on by a ruthless Australian side as the tourists swept to a worryingly straightforward victory in the first match of the Ashes.
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 Wembley. However, in the key instances, it was the reigning title holders who showed more calmness in front of a historic crowd for an series match in the United Kingdom of more than 60,000.
Guided by an exceptional display in attack and defence from Brisbane Broncos’ Walsh, Australia were deserving and convincing victors in the first match of the three-game contest, meaning England must triumph at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium next Saturday to keep alive their hopes of a first Ashes win since 1970.
England will have to be much better with the possession if they are to achieve that. On multiple occasions in the opening period, the home team found themselves in promising positions but they were failed to score for any tries. That was in large measure thanks to Reece Walsh, who executed two superb turnovers.
The initial came as Farnworth seemed destined to put Young in for what would have been the first score, then the fullback denied Lewis as the break neared. By then, the Kangaroos had gone ahead as Reece Walsh himself finished a excellent move.
Cleary converted before kicking a penalty on the brink of the interval to open up a two-score advantage. It was a pivotal point, as was the try for Crichton shortly after the resumption 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 drive.
If there were any doubt about the victors, they were firmly put to bed with 15 minutes to go. Cameron Munster’s half-break was backed up by Crichton, who broke through Welsby for Australia’s third try.
That made it twenty to zero and there was added disappointment in the final minutes as Reece Walsh finished another breathtaking move, taking advantage of a weary and visibly shot English defense for his second.
By then, home fans had begun to filter out and many missed Clark's consolation, which at least avoided the home side being held to nil. However, there are many issues for the coach to address going into what is now a do-or-die Test next weekend.
