Walsh Shines as Ruthless Australia Sweep England Aside in Opening Ashes Test

England's offensive weaknesses were exposed and punished by a clinical Australian side as the visitors secured a surprisingly comfortable win in the opening Test of the Ashes.

Shaun Wane’s team had talked at length about their drive going into the first Ashes for 22 years, and they were definitely full of effort at Wembley. However, in the crucial moments, it was the world champions who showed more calmness in front of a record attendance for an Ashes Test in the United Kingdom of more than 60,000.

Outstanding Performance from Walsh

Led by an exceptional display in offense and defense from Brisbane Broncos’ Reece Walsh, the Kangaroos were deserving and convincing victors in the first match of the three-game contest, meaning England must win at Goodison Park next weekend to keep alive their aspirations of a series victory since 1970.

England will have to be much better with the possession if they are to accomplish that goal. On several instances in the opening period, the home team found themselves in advantageous situations but they were failed to score for any tries. That was in large measure thanks to Reece Walsh, who executed two superb interceptions.

Key Moments of the Game

The initial came as Herbie Farnworth seemed destined to put Young in for what would have been the opening try, then Walsh stopped Mikey Lewis as half-time neared. By then, the Kangaroos had gone ahead as Reece Walsh himself finished a excellent move.

Nathan Cleary converted before adding a penalty on the brink of half-time to establish a two-score lead. It was a pivotal moment, as was the try for Crichton soon after the resumption which made it 14-0 in favor of the Kangaroos. England now had to cross the line thrice and that seemed to stifle their momentum.

Should there have been uncertainty about the victors, they were firmly put to bed with 15 minutes to go. Munster's line break was backed up by Crichton, who broke through Jack Welsby for Australia’s third try.

That made it twenty to zero and there was further humiliation in the closing stages as Reece Walsh completed another breathtaking move, exploiting a tired and clearly exhausted England defensive line for his second.

Match Result and Looking Ahead

By then, home fans had begun to filter out and many did not see Clark's consolation, which at least avoided the home side finishing scoreless. Nonetheless, there are plenty of questions for the coach to answer going into what is now a must-win match next weekend.

• Home Side: Full team lineup.
• Substitutes: Litten, Walmsley, Trout, McMeeken.
• Tries: Clark.
• Goal: Mikey Lewis.

• Visitors: Starting lineup.
• Interchange: Dearden, Collins, Cotter, Koloamatangi.
• Scores: Walsh 2, Crichton 2.
• Kicks: Cleary 5.