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The home side's attacking frailties were laid bare and capitalized on by a clinical Australia as the tourists secured a surprisingly comfortable victory in the opening Test of the Ashes.

The England coach's team had spoken effusively about their drive going into the opening series for over two decades, and they were definitely full of endeavour at Wembley. Yet, in the crucial moments, it was the world champions who showed more composure in front of a historic crowd for an series match in the UK of over sixty thousand spectators.

Brilliant Performance from Walsh

Guided by an outstanding display in offense and defense from club star Walsh, Australia were worthy and comfortable winners in the opening Test of the three-match series, meaning England must win at Goodison Park next weekend to sustain their hopes of a first Ashes win since the 1970s.

They 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 advantageous situations but they were failed to score for any points. That was in no small part thanks to Reece Walsh, who pulled off two superb turnovers.

Key Moments of the Match

The first occurred as Herbie Farnworth seemed destined to put Young in for what would have been the opening try, then Walsh denied Lewis as half-time approached. By then, the Australians had gone ahead as Reece Walsh himself finished a excellent play.

Cleary converted before kicking a two-pointer on the brink of half-time to establish a two-score advantage. It was a pivotal moment, as was the try for Crichton soon after the resumption which made it fourteen to nil in favour of the visitors. The hosts now had to cross the line thrice and that seemed to halt their momentum.

If there were any doubt about the winners, they were decisively settled with 15 minutes to go. Cameron Munster’s half-break was backed up by Angus Crichton, who pushed past Jack Welsby for Australia’s third try.

That made it 20-0 and there was further humiliation in the closing stages as Walsh finished another breathtaking move, taking advantage of a tired and visibly shot England defense for his second try.

Final Score and Outlook

By then, home fans had begun to filter out and many missed Clark's consolation, which at least avoided the home side finishing scoreless. Nonetheless, there are many issues for Wane to answer going into what is now a must-win Test next weekend.

• Home Side: Welsby; Young, Farnworth, Wardle, Johnstone; Williams, Lewis; Havard, Clark, Lees, Bateman, Pearce-Paul, Knowles.
• Substitutes: Bench players.
• Tries: Clark.
• Goal: Lewis.

• Visitors: Starting lineup.
• Interchange: Reserves.
• Scores: Reece Walsh (two), Angus Crichton (two).
• Goals: Nathan Cleary (five).