England's Rugby League Ashes Bid Dealt Blows After Heavy Defeat to Australia

The opening match of the three-Test series saw England's bid to win the rugby league Ashes for the first time in more than half a century dealt a significant blow. England suffered a heavy 26-6 defeat to Australia at Wembley, with Reece Walsh scoring four tries and Nathan Cleary converting four conversions and one penalty. The loss marks a disappointing start for England, particularly considering the weight of history against them, with the last British team to win the Ashes being in 1970.

Key Takeaways:

• England suffered a heavy 26-6 defeat to Australia in the opening match of the three-Test series.
• Reece Walsh scored four tries for Australia, with Nathan Cleary converting four conversions and one penalty.
• The loss marks a disappointing start for England, with the team struggling to respond to Australia's early tries.
• Daryl Clark's converted try in the 76th minute provided a consolation for England, but it was too little too late.
• Captain George Williams and half-back Mikey Lewis, who had a brilliant treble-winning season with Hull KR, started for England.
• Australian head coach Kevin Walters handed debuts to Wah Walsh, Mark Nawaqanitawase, and Gehamat Shibasaki.
• Walsh was instrumental in Australia's victory, delivering the first try midway through the first half and scoring two more tries in the second half.

Statistics:

• England's defeat marks their second consecutive loss to Australia in the Ashes series.
• Reece Walsh scored four tries in the match, with an additional two points from Cleary's conversions.
• Nathan Cleary's penalty kick extended Australia's advantage to eight points at half-time.
• The second half saw Australia's lead increase to 12, 18, and ultimately 26 points.
• The only high point for England was a consolation try by Daryl Clark with four minutes left in the match.

Sources:

• [Sunday Post] by Philip Duncan sport@sundaypost.com