Shaun Wane’s one-word verdict after England Test defeat to Australia

Shaun Wane labelled England’s showing at Wembley ‘poor’ as his side were beaten 26-6 by Australia in the first Test of the Ashes series.

England started the clash at the national stadium relatively well in front of 60,812, going toe to toe with the tourists and giving as good as they got. But, as the game wore on Australia’s quality shone bright with the Kangaroos asserting their dominance and touching down four times.

Reece Walsh, who tormented England at times, scored two tries on the day, one either half, while back-rower Angus Crichton grabbed a brace after the break.

Daryl Clark got England on the board late, scooting around the ruck to touch down from short range, but with just three minutes on the clock, it was nothing more than a consolation.

Shaun Wane gives his take on England Test defeat

“Poor,” Wane said when asked to sum up his thoughts on his side’s performance. “I know what they’re capable of these players and I don’t think we really gave ourselves a chance to win, even in the first half it was close but it wasn’t really.

“Australia were the best team, there’s no question about that and it hurts a lot. We were desperate to put our best show on today and we didn’t do that.

“The things we did wrong are easy fixes. We needed to fix them on the run and we didn’t. The best team won and there’s no doubt about that.

“We made line breaks and didn’t score, they made line breaks and scored. They were clinical and showed why they’re the best team in the world. We have to hold our hands up.

“We must be obsessed that they see the best of us this week and that’s the beauty of three Test matches. We did things today that I didn’t think we were capable of but we’ll fix it.

“The way we ended our sets, they out-last played us and out-kicked us and that’s an area where we’re normally strong but it’s an easy area to fix. When you turn the ball over on play three and four, it’s very simple rugby and I don’t think we nailed the detail today.”

Asked if his side displayed early signs of nerves, Wane added: “Yeah, that’s what I saw. They were a bit apprehensive and that’s down to us as coaches, we’ve created an environment and we’ll have a good look in the week about what we’ve done and what my message has been.

“We did look a bit nervous and it wasn’t our performance.”