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The home side's offensive weaknesses were exposed and punished by a clinical Australian side as the tourists swept to a surprisingly comfortable victory in the first match of the Ashes.

Shaun Wane’s team had talked at length about their drive going into the first Ashes for 22 years, and they were definitely full of endeavour at the famous stadium. However, in the crucial moments, it was the reigning title holders who displayed more composure in front of a historic crowd for an series match in the UK of more than 60,000.

Outstanding Display from Reece Walsh

Led by an outstanding display in attack and defence from club star Walsh, the Kangaroos were worthy and comfortable winners in the first match of the three-game contest, meaning the hosts must win at Goodison Park next Saturday to sustain their aspirations of a series victory since the 1970s.

England will have to be significantly improved with the possession if they are to achieve that. On several instances in the opening period, the hosts found themselves in promising positions but they were failed to score for any tries. That was in no small part thanks to Walsh, who pulled off two wonderful turnovers.

Key Moments of the Game

The first occurred as Herbie Farnworth seemed certain to put Young in for what would have been the opening try, then Walsh denied Mikey Lewis as the break neared. By then, the Australians had gone ahead as Reece Walsh himself finished a wonderful move.

Nathan Cleary added the extras before adding a penalty on the stroke of the interval to open up a two-score advantage. It was a significant moment, as was the try for Angus Crichton soon after the restart which made it fourteen to nil in favor of the visitors. The hosts now had to score three times and that seemed to stifle their drive.

If there were any doubt about the winners, they were decisively settled with 15 minutes to go. Munster's half-break was supported by 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 Reece Walsh finished another breathtaking move, taking advantage of a tired and visibly shot England defense for his second try.

Final Score and Outlook

By then, local supporters had begun to filter out and many missed Clark's late try, which at least prevented the home side finishing scoreless. However, there are many issues for the coach to answer going into what is now a must-win match next weekend.

• Home Side: Full team lineup.
• Substitutes: Bench players.
• Try: Daryl Clark.
• Conversion: Mikey Lewis.

• Visitors: Starting lineup.
• Interchange: Reserves.
• Tries: Reece Walsh (two), Angus Crichton (two).
• Goals: Nathan Cleary (five).