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The home side's offensive weaknesses were exposed and punished by a ruthless Australian side as the visitors swept to a worryingly straightforward victory in the opening Test of the Ashes.

The England coach's side had talked at length about their drive going into the opening series for over two decades, and they were certainly not short on effort at the famous stadium. However, in the key instances, 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.

Brilliant Display from Walsh

Led by an exceptional showing in offense and defense from Brisbane Broncos’ Walsh, Australia were deserving and convincing winners in the first match of the three-game contest, meaning the hosts must triumph at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium next Saturday to sustain their hopes of a first Ashes win since 1970.

They will have to be much better with the ball if they are to achieve that. On several instances in the opening period, the hosts found themselves in promising positions but they were unable to cross for any tries. That was in large measure thanks to Reece Walsh, who pulled off two wonderful interceptions.

Crucial Plays of the Game

The first came as Herbie Farnworth seemed certain to put Dom Young in for what would have been the first score, then Walsh denied Lewis as the break neared. By then, the Kangaroos had gone ahead as Reece Walsh himself finished a wonderful play.

Cleary converted before kicking a two-pointer on the stroke of half-time to open up a eight-point lead. It was a pivotal moment, as was the score for Crichton shortly 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.

If there were any doubt about the winners, they were decisively settled with 15 minutes to go. Cameron Munster’s line break was supported by Angus Crichton, who broke through Welsby for the Kangaroos' third score.

That made it 20-0 and there was added disappointment in the closing stages as Walsh finished another scintillating move, exploiting a weary and visibly shot English defensive line for his second.

Match Result and Looking Ahead

By then, local supporters had begun to leave early and many missed Clark's consolation, which at least prevented the home side being held to nil. Nonetheless, there are many issues for the coach to address going into what is now a must-win Test next weekend.

• Home Side: Full team lineup.
• Substitutes: Litten, Walmsley, Trout, McMeeken.
• Try: Clark.
• Goal: Lewis.

• Visitors: Starting lineup.
• Bench: Dearden, Collins, Cotter, Koloamatangi.
• Tries: Walsh 2, Crichton 2.
• Kicks: Cleary 5.