Promised the earth, delivered an atlas: England reeling from opening Ashes defeat

England said all the right things. They looked the part. They told us they were ready.

"We're almost there… I don't think we've ever been more ready than this," said England captain George Williams.

"It's the best England set-up I've been a part of," insisted Williams again, before kick-off.

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"We'll be hyped this weekend, but we need to be smart. It's going to be a smash-up," were the words of England head coach Shaun Wane.

And then the game began.

Australia - at times sloppy, without their captain from the ninth minute and far from their ruthless best - still won comfortably. The Kangaroos weren't brilliant; they didn't need to be.

As Paul Gallen put it bluntly: "I didn't think Australia were great… England were horrible."

Phil Gould went further: "I didn't really expect any better. I had hoped for better. They've been overwhelmed."

One of the game's greatest Cameron Smith called an English second-half defensive effort "embarrassing". Smith has never tried to throw out soundbites to grab attention. When he talks you listen.

This was supposed to be England's statement game. The day the talk turned to substance. The team that promised to be the most prepared and harmonious in decades were unconvincing in the contest from the get-go.

I watched the game back again and saw Australia win in an opening 30 minutes that many thought was an even "arm-wrestle". That opening half hour was Australia grinding down an England side clinging on.

The telling statistic: It was 24 minutes before England kicked the ball from inside the Australian half. The hosts actually went a full 30 minutes with just that kick launched from outside their half. Hat tip to Tom Johnstone and Dom Young for their efforts to defuse and try to progress from deep inside their half on multiple occasions.

Talking to supporters at Wembley post-match I found a similar theme... "England were so far off today... it's been much closer in the past". That's true...on occasion. There have also been bigger - significantly bigger - hidings at the hands of Australia. So that nostalgic line doesn't hold true…yet

What England must ensure on Saturday at Everton is that this doesn't become a pattern. One defeat can be dismissed as an off-day, two starts to look like a trend.

The disappointment runs deeper because the build-up sounded so convincing. "We're almost there," Williams said. "The best set-up I've been part of." The captain wasn't bluffing, he genuinely believed it. Wane, too, promised intensity and composure: "We'll be hyped, but we need to be smart."

But when the pressure arrived, the noise turned to echoes. England weren't smart. They weren't composed. They were bullied in the middle, loose in defence, and second-best in almost every contest.

What about the "slow rucks" that would supposedly hinder Australia and benefit the England side littered with Super League stars ?

I did a bit of digging.

In Game 3 of this year's State of Origin, Queensland averaged a play-the-ball speed of 4.05 seconds; New South Wales were quicker at 3.62. In the Test at Wembley, England averaged 3.53, while Australia laboured at 4.21.

What do I deduce from this? Quick rucks were allowed but so were very slow ones!

On paper, that looks like an advantage to England - and it should have been. They had eight play-the-balls between one and two seconds. Australia had 24 slow play-the-balls (over five seconds) to England's five - yet still dominated territory and tempo.

That tells its own story. Slow play-the-balls usually kill attacking rhythm, but Australia found ways to win the game comfortably even when they lost the ruck. It'll be an NRL referee on Saturday and, we are led to believe, quicker rucks for both and five-seconds-plus rucks probably penalised. We shall see.

I tipped England to win. I believed the noises and that's on me. I thought the Australian absentees coupled with travel and the time England have had to build a squad would have the majority leaving Wembley smiling. There was gloom.

Why, in the biggest fixture in years did England look least like a team capable of competing in one? Why did a group that promised clarity look so confused? We have questions but no answers.

There's still hope, of course. This is a three-Test series, not a one-off. Imagine losing a Grand Final but having a chance at redemption just seven days later.

A win this weekend would flip the narrative, turning last week's defeat into the bad day every good side sometimes needs. It would restore belief and wouldn't that be welcome? I cannot wait to see and hear the rugby league supporters in the new stadium on what could be an unforgettable day for the game in this country.

How quickly Wembley would be forgotten if the journeys out of Liverpool next Saturday echoed with cheers and chatter about a "decider" at Headingley.

Lose again, though, and the conversation changes. Wane has been in charge long enough for goodwill to have an expiry date. The World Cup semi-final slip still lingers, and another series loss will force uncomfortable questions about who should lead England to the next one.

One doesn't have to be on social media to hear the names of Matt Peet, Paul Rowley and Brian McDermott being bandied about.

This weekend isn't just about levelling a series. It's about proving that the optimism wasn't misplaced, that last week was a stumble, not a slide.

Because if England can't show it now, all the talk of progress will sound hollow.

I'll reiterate what I said last week. Narrow defeats count for nothing. I know. Beating Australia matters only if it's to win the Ashes. A 2-1 series defeat is just that. Defeat.

"We're almost there," said George Williams. Maybe. But right now, England look lost on the map: promising the earth, and delivering an atlas.

Rugby League Ashes 2025

First Test: Saturday October 25, Wembley Stadium: England 6-26 Australia

Second Test: Saturday November 1, Everton Stadium, Liverpool

Third Test: Saturday November 8, Headingley Stadium, Leeds