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A lot has changed in the 22 years since the last Ashes series but some things have remained the same. England had waited for more than two decades For this opportunity to test themselves against the best players in the world and while there are still two more matches to go in which Shaun Wynne’s side will be hoping to bounce back, there is no doubt Australia will be just that. It was an imperfect performance from the world champions Kangaroos in many ways and yet there is still a gulf between the two teams – if England are to win a first Ashes since 1973, they will have to find a level further than what they were able to do here.
The long wait for the return of the Ashes has largely to do with Australian ambivalence towards the international game and while this game crackled and faded with an intensity befitting a good occasion, it was probably not a major contest regularly seen during the State of Origin series, nor at the upper level. nrlThe crowd of 60,812 made a welcome return, but England struggled to make much of an impression on their opponent and failed to do so on the scoreboard until four minutes from time, disappointing those hoping for a home series success.
It always seemed that the Australians would go ahead quickly, but their margin of victory was largely down to the excellent performance of Reece Walsh. Wembley has seen a number of great fullbacks in its long lineage, but this grand old ground has certainly seen few characters like the 23-year-old Lively, who blends ingenuity with flamboyant braggadocio into a potent potion.
Player of the match in the NRL Grand Final three weeks ago, Walsh’s enthusiasm and energy that makes him such a star on the field has sometimes gotten him into trouble – not long ago the Brisbane Broncos were forced to apologize for an ill-judged social media video that showed him flushing water from a newly installed toilet. But there is no doubt about his star power.
Walsh issued an ominous warning after his Kangaroo debut, saying “there is a lot of room for improvement.” “We were quite disappointed there. We have a lot of world-class players in our team. This is our first hit-out together, so I’m very happy to get the win. We’re all chasing perfection, but that doesn’t mean we’ll achieve it.”
The thinking was that if England were to have any hope of winning the series, they would have to stop Australia in the opening match of the series. Perhaps recognizing the need for that fast start, England brought plenty of early physicality, using the impressive Dom Young early and often, the giant wing roaming around to inflict damage on foes familiar to the NRL.
Center Herbie Farnworth, one of England’s Australian stars, also shone, but the well-prepared Australian defense could not be broken down easily, despite the hosts constantly punching through them. Indeed, in the opening quarter, neither side threatened much, neither was able to generate enough meterage to take much risk nor were the opposition able to repeatedly earn sets through the boot on rare forays close to the try line.
It was Australia who broke the deadlock in style. Although captain Isa Yeo suffered a setback after taking an early blow to the head, his forward players began to inject more venom, sucking up the English line. The numbers on the right were keenly exploited by a wide group at the back – if an inside, perhaps offloading, toss from forward Mark Nwazanitawase to an aggressive Kotoni Stags looked a little suspicious, there was nothing suspicious about Walsh’s jubilant leap that finished it.
It featured a performance from the fullback. He and Farnsworth were involved in some off-ball ding dongs, before Walsh made an intervention to deny a certain score after Jake Wardley shot out to block the centre’s pass.
It was the kind of all-round display of fullback mastery that Sam Tomkins, who regularly patrolled the England backfield in his role as team manager, would have been proud of in his playing days. The home team had their chances – Tom Johnstone’s in-field kick disappeared into a burrow just before the Terriers’ Mickey Lewis and Welsby reeled it in – but were unable to register. Conversely, when pulling on the indomitable Walsh resulted in a kickable penalty, Nathan Cleary’s thunderous strike extended the Australian lead.
The fullback brought the tourists alive shortly after the interval, almost going the length of the field for an audacious adventure, and it was not long before the second Australian score came – England were expecting a kick after the fifth tackle, Angus Crichton left Wembley Way untouched for a very easy finish.
Unable to match England’s intensity, the Kangaroos turned the screw, trapping the home side with a canny kick as the skies opened up before Crichton crossed again. To summarize England’s day, a well-played game ended with Lewis scoring but only because of a knock-on; Moments later, Australia were legitimately scoring at the other end, with Walsh, fittingly, putting the finishing touch. Daryl Clarke’s late try ensured England broke their duck, but it was little consolation.
“We were poor,” England head coach Shaun Wynne said. “I know what these players are capable of, and I don’t think we gave ourselves a chance to win. Australia were the best team, there’s no doubt about that. We were desperate to play our best today and we didn’t. The things we did wrong can easily be fixed. They showed why they are the best team in the world and we have to hold our hands up – we just weren’t there today.”