England said all the right things. They played their part. They told us they were ready.
England captain George Williams said: “We’re almost there…I don’t think we’ve ever been more ready.”
“This is the best England set-up I’ve ever been a part of,” Williams claimed again before kick-off.
“It’s going to be exciting this weekend, but we’ve got to be smart. It’s going to be a disaster,” England head coach Sean Wayne said.
And then the match began.
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Sky Sports’ Megan Wellens concludes intense first Ashes Test at Wembley
Australia, without their captain from nine minutes on, were far from their ruthless best and had a sloppy game at times, but they still won comfortably. Kangaroo wasn’t great. There was no need to do so.
Paul Gallen put it bluntly: “I didn’t think Australia were great…England were terrible.”
Phil Gould added: “We never expected it to be any better. We were hoping for it to be better. They blew us away.”
Cameron Smith, one of the game’s greatest players, described England’s second-half defensive effort as “embarrassing”. Smith has never tried to throw out sound bites to get attention. When he speaks, you listen.
This was supposed to be England’s declaration match. The day the story became essential. A team that promised to be the most prepared and harmonious in decades was unconvincing from the start in the contest.
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Australia’s Nathan Cleary reacts to 1-0 lead in Ashes series against England
Watching the match again, Australia won in the first 30 minutes of what many thought was an evenly matched “arm wrestle.” For the first 30 minutes, Australia were crushing a clinging England team.
The decisive statistic: It took 24 minutes for England to kick the ball from inside Australia’s half. In fact, the hosts used up the entire 30 minutes just from kicks fired from outside their own half. Hats off to Tom Johnston and Dom Young for their efforts to break through attacks from deep in their own half and advance.
Speaking to supporters at Wembley after the match, I found a similar theme… “England is so far away today… it used to be so much closer”. It’s true…sometimes. The Australian men also had a larger – quite large – hiding place. So that nostalgic line doesn’t apply…yet.
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England manager Sam Tomkins reacts to disappointing result against Australia in first Ashes Test
What England must ensure against Everton on Saturday is that this does not become a pattern. One loss can be dismissed as an off day, but two losses starts to look like a trend.
The disappointment was even deeper because the development sounded so convincing. “We’re almost there,” Williams said. “It was the best setup I’ve ever been in,” the captain believed wholeheartedly, not bluffing. Wayne also promised strength and calm: “We’ll be excited, but we need to act smart.”
But when pressure was applied, the noise turned into an echo. England was none the wiser. They were not composed. They were bullied in midfield, had a lax defense and were second in almost every contest.
What about the ‘slow ruck’ that is supposed to hinder Australia and benefit an England side loaded with Super League stars?
I did a little digging.
In Game 3 of this year’s State of Origin, Queensland’s average play-the-ball speed was 4.05 seconds. NSW was faster at 3.62. In the Test at Wembley, England averaged 3.53 points, while Australia struggled, averaging 4.21 points.
What to infer from this? Fast racks were allowed, but so were very slow racks.
On paper, it looks advantageous for England, but that’s how it was supposed to be. There were eight plays the ball between 1 and 2 seconds. Australia had 24 slow plays (of 5 seconds or more), while England recorded 5 seconds, but still dominated ground and tempo.
That in itself tells a story. Slow play-the-ball usually disrupts attacking rhythm, but Australia found a way to comfortably win games even when they lost rucks. There will be an NRL tribunal on Saturday, with both faster rucks and rucks longer than five seconds likely to result in penalties. Let’s take a look.
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Queensland were in a celebratory mood after defeating New South Wales in the decider to win this year’s State of Origin.
I gave England victory. I believed the noise, but it’s my fault. Most thought the Australian’s absence, combined with travel and the time England had to spend building their squad, would leave smiling at Wembley. There was darkness.
Why did England never look like the team to play in the biggest game in years? Why did a group that promised clarity look so confused? Questions, but no answers.
Of course there is still hope. This is a three-Test series and not a one-off. Imagine losing in the grand final, but having a chance to bounce back just seven days later.
A win this weekend would flip the narrative and last week’s loss would be the bad day that good teams sometimes need. It will restore faith, and isn’t that something to be welcomed? I can’t wait to see and hear rugby league supporters at the new stadium on what could be an unforgettable day for the game in this country.
How quickly Wembley will be forgotten if the sound of cheers and chatter about the ‘decisive’ at Headingley echoes on our way out of Liverpool next Saturday.
However, if you lose again, the story changes. Mr. Wayne has been responsible for goodwill long enough to expire. The effects of being eliminated in the World Cup semi-finals are still being felt, and another series defeat would force uncomfortable questions about who should lead England into the next league.
You don’t have to be on social media to hear the names of Matt Peat, Paul Lowry and Brian McDermott being bandied about.
This weekend’s goal isn’t just to raise the bar in the series. It’s proof that the optimism wasn’t wrong, and that last week was more of a stumbling block than a slip.
Because if England can’t show it now, all talk of progress will ring hollow.
I’ll repeat what I said last week. A narrow loss means nothing. know. A win against Australia is only important to win the Ashes. A 2-1 series loss is just that. defeat.
“We’re almost there,” George Williams said. perhaps. But now England looks lost on the map. We promised the earth and distributed atlases.
Rugby League Ashes 2025
First Test: Saturday 25th October, Wembley Stadium: England 6 – 26 Australia
Second Test: Saturday 1 November, Everton Stadium, Liverpool
Third Test: Saturday 8th November, Headingley Stadium, Leeds
