Australia routs England in rugby league Ashes opener at Wembley

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LONDON (AP) — Australia outclassed England 26-6 at Wembley Stadium on Saturday to begin the first rugby league Ashes series in 22 years.

Fullback Reece Walsh, on debut, and second row Angus Crichton scored two tries each, and Nathan Cleary converted all four and nailed a penalty kick.

Daryl Clark's converted try in the 76th minute was nothing more than a consolation for England in front of an Ashes-record crowd of 60,812.

The dominant Kangaroos picked up where they left off, having won the last series 3-0 in 2003. Australia last lost a series to England in 1970.

“Out of the blocks well,” Australia coach Kevin Walters told the BBC. “That was going to be the key to success, making sure they gelled very quickly. They're footballers so I didn't think it would be too big of a job to get them together.”

Another Kangaroos debutant, Mark Nawaqanitawase, played in Walsh for the first try and England did well to limit Australia to an 8-0 halftime lead.

But the Kangaroos looked like they sealed the result five minutes into the new half when, following a 60-meter break by Walsh, Crichton scored his first try from 20 meters out.

Crichton landed his second try after a Cameron Munster show and go, and Walsh piled on with a brilliant breakaway try with eight minutes left to cap a fine man-of-the-match display.

“I'm probably happier with the two tries I stopped,” Walsh told the BBC.

The only blemish for the winners was captain Isaah Yeo failing a head injury assessment after colliding with Dom Young. He'll miss the second test in Liverpool next weekend. They play the third test in Leeds.

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby