Walsh Shines as Dominant The Kangaroos Defeat The Hosts Away in Opening Ashes Test
England's attacking frailties were laid bare and capitalized on by a ruthless Australia as the visitors secured a surprisingly comfortable victory in the opening Test of the Ashes.
Shaun Wane’s side had spoken effusively about their drive going into the opening series for over two decades, and they were definitely full of endeavour at the famous stadium. Yet, in the crucial moments, it was the reigning title holders who displayed more composure in front of a record attendance for an Ashes Test in the UK of more than 60,000.
Brilliant Display from Walsh
Led by an exceptional display in attack and defence from club star Reece Walsh, the Kangaroos were deserving and convincing winners in the first match of the three-match series, meaning the hosts must triumph at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium next Saturday to keep alive their hopes of a series victory since 1970.
England will have to be significantly improved with the possession if they are to achieve that. 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 turnovers.
Key Moments of the Game
The initial came as Farnworth seemed destined to put Young in for what would have been the opening try, then Walsh denied Lewis as half-time approached. By then, the Australians had taken the lead as Walsh himself finished a wonderful move.
Cleary converted before adding a penalty on the brink of the interval to establish a two-score advantage. It was a pivotal point, as was the score for Crichton shortly after the restart which made it fourteen to nil in favor of the Kangaroos. The hosts now had to cross the line thrice and that seemed to stifle their drive.
If there were any doubt about the victors, they were decisively settled with a quarter-hour to go. Munster's half-break was backed up by Crichton, who broke through Welsby for the Kangaroos' third score.
That made it 20-0 and there was further humiliation in the final minutes as Reece Walsh finished another scintillating attack, exploiting a weary and clearly exhausted English defense for his second try.
Match Result and Outlook
By then, local supporters had begun to filter out and many did not see Daryl Clark’s consolation, which at least avoided the home side finishing scoreless. Nonetheless, there are plenty of questions for the coach to address going into what is now a do-or-die match next Saturday.
- Home Side: Full team lineup.
- Interchange: Litten, Walmsley, Trout, McMeeken.
- Tries: Clark.
- Conversion: Mikey Lewis.
- Visitors: Starting lineup.
- Interchange: Dearden, Collins, Cotter, Koloamatangi.
- Tries: Reece Walsh (two), Angus Crichton (two).
- Goals: Cleary 5.