England are reeling from Ashes defeat. Brian Carney said he promised the Earth and delivered an atlas. rugby league news

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

England captain George Williams said: “We’re almost there. We’ve never been more ready.”

Before kick-off, Williams once again claimed: “This is the best England team I have ever been part of.”

“We’ll be hyped this weekend, but we’ve got to be smart about it. It’s going to be a big hit.” England manager Sean Wayne said:

And then the game began.

Australia were far from their ruthless best, sometimes without their captain in the ninth minute, but still won comfortably. The kangaroos weren’t great. There was no need for that.

As Paul Gallen put it bluntly: “I didn’t think Australia was great… England was terrible.”

Phil Gould went further: “I didn’t expect better. I hoped for better. They were underwhelmed.”

Cameron Smith, one of the game’s greatest players, called England’s second-half defensive effort “embarrassing”. Smith has never tried to throw out sound bites to get attention. When he speaks, you listen.

This was seen as England’s statement game. The day when stories turned into reality. A team that promised to be the most prepared and cohesive in decades was unconvincing in the competition from the start.

I watched the game again and saw Australia win 30 minutes into what many people even thought was an “arm wrestling” match. The opening 30 minutes were a scene where Australia took down England, who was holding on.

Statistics show that it took England 24 minutes to kick the ball inside Australia’s half. The hosts actually filled the full 30 minutes with only kicks fired from outside their own half. Hats off to Tom Johnstone and Dom Young, who on several occasions tried to relax and improve deep in their own half.

Speaking to supporters at Wembley after the match, I noticed a similar theme. “England were too far away today. In the past they were much closer.” That’s true…sometimes. There was also a larger and much larger cover-up at the hands of Australia. So that nostalgic line isn’t true…yet.

What England need to ensure against Everton on Saturday is that this does not become a pattern. One loss can be dismissed as an off day, two losses can start to seem like a trend.

The disappointment deepened because the build-up sounded so convincing. “We’re almost there,” Williams said. “This is the best composition I have ever been a part of.” The captain was not bluffing; he truly believed it. Wane too promised intensity and composure. “We may be exaggerating, but we need to be smart.”

But as pressure was applied, the noise turned into an echo. Britain wasn’t smart. They are not made up. They were bullied in the middle, lax in defense and finished second in almost every competition.

What about the “slow prank” that supposedly disrupted Australia and benefited an England team full of Super League stars?

I did some digging.

Queensland’s average speed of ball play in Game 3 of this year’s State of Origin was 4.05 seconds. New South Wales was faster at 3.62. In the Wembley Test, England averaged 3.53 while Australia averaged 4.21.

What do I infer from this? Fast luckys were allowed, but very slow lucky ones were also allowed!

On paper it looks like an advantage for Britain. And it should have been so. They had 8 ball plays lasting between 1 and 2 seconds. Australia had 24 slow ball plays (over 5 seconds) compared to England’s 5 but still dominated territory and tempo.

It tells its own story. While slow ball play usually kills attacking rhythm, Australia found a way to win the game comfortably even when they lost a ruck. That will be the NRL referee on Saturday, and we are both led to believe that there will be faster rucks and rucks longer than five seconds will probably result in a penalty. We will see.

I advised that England would win. I believed the noise and it was up to me. I thought Australia’s absence and travel and England’s time having to put together a squad would make up the majority of Wembley’s smiles. There was gloom.

Why didn’t England look like a team capable of playing in their biggest match in years? Why does a group that promised clarity seem so confused? There are questions but no answers.

Of course, there is still hope. This is not a one-off test but a series of three tests. Imagine losing in the grand final but getting a chance at redemption in just seven days.

A win this weekend would flip the narrative and turn last week’s loss into the bad day every good team needs sometimes. Wouldn’t that restore faith and 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 will Wembley be forgotten if the journey away from Liverpool next Saturday echoes cheers and chatter about the “decider” at Headingley?

But if you lose again, the conversation will be different. Wane had been in charge long enough for the goodwill to expire. A World Cup semi-final remains to be seen, and another series defeat would force uncomfortable questions about who should lead England to their next match.

You don’t have to be on social media to hear the names of Matt Peet, Paul Rowley and Brian McDermott floating around.

This weekend isn’t just about leveling up the series. This proves that optimism is not misplaced and that last week was a stumble, not a slip.

Because if Britain fails to show it now, all talk of progress will ring hollow.

Let me repeat what I said last week. A narrow loss means nothing. i know. Beating Australia only matters if they win the Ashes. The 2-1 series loss is exactly that. defeat

“We’re almost there,” George Williams said. maybe. But right now, Britain seems lost on the map. It’s about promising the planet and delivering the atlas.

Rugby League Ashes 2025

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

Second test: Saturday, November 1, Everton Stadium, Liverpool

Third test: Saturday 8 November, Leeds Headingley Stadium