"We undersold ourselves today, and that’s torture for me. We'll fix it," Wane assures England fans, following his side's defeat to Australia in the Ashes opener at Wembley Stadium.
England Head Coach Shaun Wane has spoken to the press following his side’s defeat to Australia in the opening Test of the ABK Beer Ashes Series.
England fell to a disappointing 6-26 loss at Wembley Stadium, with Wane acknowledging his team were nowhere near their characteristic best on Saturday afternoon:
“We were poor. I know what these players are capable of, and I don’t think we ever really gave ourselves a chance to win, even in the first half.
“It was close in that first half, but Australia were the best team, there’s no question about that.
“It hurts. We were desperate to put on our best showing today and we didn’t, but the things what we did wrong are easy fixes.
“We needed to fix them on the run, but we couldn't and the best team won.
“I think we looked quite anxious and nervous, and it just wasn’t our performance.”
Australia scored four tries on Saturday, while England failed to capitalise on their chances when they had them. Their only consolation came from Daryl Clark's late score in the closing stages.
“We made line breaks and didn’t score; they made line breaks and scored,” Wane said.
“Australia were clinical and showed why they are the best team in the world."
“We have to hold our hands up. We weren’t there today but we must now be obsessed with the fact that they see the best of us next week.
“That’s the beauty of three test matches. We’ll fix it.
“I was disappointed with the way we ended our sets, the way we turned the ball over and the quality of our last plays.
“It’s an area where we’re usually strong.”
Looking ahead to the Second Test at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium next Saturday, Wane is determined to fix things quickly and firmly believes his side will turn things around:
“I’ll have a look at everybody, but we will be better next week. We’ll have a good week this week and we'll make the right changes.
“I’ve got a strong 24."
But on today's performance, Wane and the players will be understanably hurting:
“They [the players] are all really, really disappointed.
“I really badly wanted everybody see the best of the players, and the players did too.
“They’re a tight bunch, a really good group of lads and very talented. But we just undersold ourselves today, and that’s torture for me.”
Reece Walsh stole the show for the Kangaroos on his international debut, with Wane paying full credit to the Aussie star:
“He’s a great player. He's done it all year for Brisbane, and he proved that today.
“We need to put him under more pressure next week. We didn't do that today, but he's a fantastic player, there’s no doubt about that.”
Saturday's Ashes Test also saw a UK record crowd of 60,812, with Wane full of thanks and appreciation towards the English crowd, but pained they couldn’t perform for the fans:
“It’s strong, but it makes me even sadder. We wanted to really make them proud and put a performance on and really challenge Australia.
“We so badly wanted to do that, so that’s why we’re so upset."
England remain optimistic, however, with the ABK Beer Ashes Series headining to Liverpool next Saturday (1 November), with the Second Test at Everton’s sold-out Hill Dickinson Stadium.
“The only thing on our mind now is ending the game at Everton as the winners," insisted Wane.
“That dictates how we're going to train, speak and everything.
“We’ll look after ourselves travelling home. This will hurt the boys but we’ll dust ourselves down, get in the video room and do some work."
Can England set things right and make it 1-1 in Test Two? Wane's side will need your backing and support!
