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England's attacking frailties were exposed and punished by a clinical Australia as the tourists secured a surprisingly comfortable victory in the opening Test of the Ashes.

Shaun Wane’s side had talked at length about their drive going into the first Ashes for 22 years, and they were definitely full of effort at Wembley. Yet, in the crucial moments, it was the world champions who showed more composure in front of a record attendance for an Ashes Test in the United Kingdom of more than 60,000.

Outstanding Performance from Walsh

Led by an exceptional display in attack and defence from club star Walsh, Australia were deserving and convincing victors in the opening Test of the three-match series, meaning England must win at Goodison Park next Saturday to sustain their aspirations 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 several instances in the opening period, the hosts found themselves in advantageous situations but they were unable to cross for any points. That was in no small part thanks to Reece Walsh, who pulled off two superb interceptions.

Key Moments of the Match

The initial came as Farnworth seemed destined to put Young in for what would have been the opening try, then the fullback stopped Lewis as the break neared. By then, the Australians had gone ahead as Walsh himself completed a excellent play.

Nathan Cleary converted before kicking a two-pointer on the brink of the interval to open up a two-score lead. It was a significant point, as was the score for Crichton soon after the restart which made it 14-0 in favour of the visitors. England 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 a quarter-hour to go. Cameron Munster’s line break was backed up by Angus Crichton, who pushed past 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, taking advantage of a weary and visibly shot English defensive line for his second try.

Final Score and Outlook

By then, local supporters had begun to leave early and many missed Daryl Clark’s late try, which at least prevented the home side finishing scoreless. Nonetheless, there are many issues for Wane to address going into what is now a do-or-die match next Saturday.

• Home Side: Welsby; Young, Farnworth, Wardle, Johnstone; Williams, Lewis; Havard, Clark, Lees, Bateman, Pearce-Paul, Knowles.
• Substitutes: Bench players.
• Tries: Clark.
• Goal: Mikey Lewis.

• Visitors: Starting lineup.
• Interchange: Reserves.
• Scores: Walsh 2, Crichton 2.
• Goals: Cleary 5.