Reece Walsh Takes Center Stage as Dominant The Kangaroos Defeat England Away in Opening Ashes Match
England's attacking frailties were laid bare and capitalized on by a clinical Australia as the visitors swept to a worryingly straightforward victory in the opening Test of the rugby league Ashes series.
Shaun Wane’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 key instances, it was the world champions who displayed more calmness in front of a record attendance for an Ashes Test in the United Kingdom of more than 60,000.
Brilliant Display from Walsh
Guided by an outstanding showing in attack and defence from Brisbane Broncos’ Walsh, the Kangaroos were deserving and convincing victors in the opening Test of the three-game contest, meaning the hosts must win at Goodison Park next weekend to sustain their hopes of a first Ashes win since the 1970s.
England will have to be much better with the ball if they are to achieve that. On multiple occasions in the opening period, the hosts found themselves in advantageous situations but they were unable to cross for any points. That was in no small part thanks to Walsh, who executed two superb interceptions.
Key Moments of the Match
The first came as Farnworth seemed certain to put Young in for what would have been the first score, then Walsh denied Mikey Lewis as the break neared. By then, the Australians had gone ahead as Reece Walsh himself completed a wonderful play.
Nathan Cleary added the extras before adding a penalty on the stroke of half-time to establish a two-score advantage. It was a pivotal moment, as was the try for Crichton soon after the restart which made it fourteen to nil in favor of the Kangaroos. 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 firmly put to bed with 15 minutes to go. Cameron Munster’s half-break was backed up by Angus Crichton, who pushed past Welsby for Australia’s third try.
That made it twenty to zero and there was added disappointment in the final minutes as Walsh completed another breathtaking attack, taking advantage of a tired and clearly exhausted English defensive line for his second try.
Final Score and Looking Ahead
By then, home fans had begun to leave early and many did not see Clark's late try, which at least avoided the home side finishing scoreless. Nonetheless, there are many issues for the coach to address going into what is now a must-win Test next weekend.
- Home Side: Full team lineup.
- Substitutes: Litten, Walmsley, Trout, McMeeken.
- Tries: Daryl Clark.
- Conversion: Mikey Lewis.
- Visitors: Walsh; Nawaqanitawase, Staggs, Shibasaki, Addo-Carr; Munster, Cleary; Carrigan, Grant, Fa’asuamaleaui, Crichton, Young, Yeo.
- Interchange: Dearden, Collins, Cotter, Koloamatangi.
- Scores: Reece Walsh (two), Angus Crichton (two).
- Goals: Cleary 5.