🔗 Share this article Walsh Shines as Ruthless The Kangaroos Sweep The Hosts Away in Opening Ashes Test England's attacking frailties were laid bare and capitalized on by a clinical Australia as the tourists secured a surprisingly comfortable victory in the first match of the rugby league Ashes series. The England coach's side had spoken effusively about their motivation going into the first Ashes for 22 years, and they were definitely full of effort at the famous stadium. However, in the key instances, it was the reigning title holders who showed more composure in front of a historic crowd for an Ashes Test in the United Kingdom of over sixty thousand spectators. Brilliant Performance from Walsh Led by an outstanding showing in offense and defense from Brisbane Broncos’ Reece Walsh, Australia were deserving and convincing winners in the first match of the three-match series, meaning England must win at Goodison Park next Saturday to sustain their aspirations of a series victory since 1970. 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 executed two wonderful turnovers. Key Moments of the Match The initial occurred as Farnworth seemed destined to put Young in for what would have been the first score, then the fullback denied Lewis as half-time neared. By then, the Kangaroos had taken the lead as Walsh himself finished a excellent play. Cleary converted before kicking a penalty on the brink of the interval to open up a two-score advantage. It was a pivotal moment, as was the score for Crichton shortly after the restart which made it fourteen to nil in favor of the visitors. England now had to cross the line thrice and that seemed to halt their drive. Should there have been uncertainty about the victors, they were decisively settled with 15 minutes to go. Cameron Munster’s half-break was backed up by Angus Crichton, who broke through Jack Welsby for the Kangaroos' third score. That made it 20-0 and there was further humiliation in the final minutes as Walsh finished another scintillating attack, taking advantage of a tired and visibly shot England defense for his second. Final Score and Outlook By then, home fans had begun to filter out and many missed Daryl Clark’s consolation, which at least avoided the home side finishing scoreless. Nonetheless, there are plenty of questions for Wane to address going into what is now a do-or-die Test next Saturday. England: Full team lineup. Interchange: Litten, Walmsley, Trout, McMeeken. Tries: Daryl Clark. Goal: Mikey Lewis. Australia: Starting lineup. Interchange: Reserves. Scores: Walsh 2, Crichton 2. Goals: Cleary 5.