The pre-match talk from an England perspective going into this first Ashes series for 22 years focused on how the hosts were not short on motivation. However, you can have all the motivation in the world but in the end, in the pressure cooker that is international rugby league, there is simply no substitute for class.
How the hosts were taught that in a brutal lesson to leave Wembley feeling flat, and this series feeling as though it is heading only one way. The suggestion had been that England’s best chance was to catch the Australians cold in game one, with it almost certain they will improve over the next fortnight.
