KEVIN WALTERS said Australia’s defence pleased him most as his first international as coach ended in a comfortable victory over England.

The Kangaroos were deserved 26-6 winners at Wembley in the first of a three-match Ashes series.

“It was a bit scrappy, that’s to be expected. It was a typical first game with both teams coming together in a shot period,” said Walters.

“We expect to get better in game two and likewise the English will get better as well.

“Our defence I thought was really good. The English side have some really good attacking players and we defended really well, which probably makes me happy more than anything.”

Fullback Reece Walsh led the way on his Australia debut, scoring two tries and potentially saving a couple with tackles too.

“He’s a good player, and he’s been in good form for a long time now,” said Walters.

“It’s good to see him finally in the green and gold, being Reece Walsh and playing footy.”

Walters was appointed as coach in July to succeed Mal Meninga, who stepped down after eight years in charge.

“These guys make it so enjoyable,” said the former Catalans, Queensland and Brisbane boss.

“Their preparation this week and the way they went about their work was something to really admire.

“When you have footballers in your group they just adjust and adapt to whatever the situation is.

“I feel we’ve got a lot of really good footballers in our group, which makes my job a lot easier.

“It’s a really good position (in the series). As the coach of this side, I’m grateful for it.

“We spoke about the expectation and these guys handled it well, but that’ll be on again next week.”