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It is a interesting aspect of the English team's autumn clean sweep that there were no debutants earned their first cap throughout the series of matches, a scenario not seen in a quarter of a century. However, the performance of Max Ojomoh display against the Argentine side while earning his second appearance felt like the arrival of a major talent.

Star Performance in Tight Victory

Ojomoh was the star turn in what was the team's most challenging performance of the November series. He finished off the opening touchdown before setting up the remaining two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a exquisite cross-field kick was the champagne moment of the first half. Likewise, his popped pass to the center for England's third try was equally impressive, capping off a fine first outing at the home stadium for the 25-year-old.

He has the kind of versatile skillset that every manager desire from their inside-centre. He can run, kick and pass, and he has featured at number ten and at both centre positions for Bath this campaign.

Rapid Rise and Future Opportunities

Only eight days since Steve Borthwick could have believed he had discovered his centre partnership for the future. However, the highest praise that can be given to Ojomoh is that the coach might need to reconsider. Ojomoh was first called up to an England squad previously, but had to wait until the final match of the summer tour to earn his first cap. Injuries to other players paved the way for Ojomoh to start here, and he undoubtedly will be in consideration for a third cap when the squad regroup to start their championship quest in the coming months.

• Multiple Abilities: Excels at number ten and centre.
• Key Contributions: Scored one try and set up two more.
• Timely Impact: Stepped up when teammates were injured.

Squad Context and Wider Implications

How would the team have fared against Argentina without him? Certainly they rode their luck and maybe it is no coincidence that he was their best player. England showed an inevitable drop-off in intensity following a major win over New Zealand. Maybe Borthwick should have freshened things up.

A balanced view is needed, though. It is tempting to criticize England for their failure to inject much intensity into this contest, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were controlling. However, this result completes a perfect record of November matches for the initial occasion since 2016. 2025 concludes with eleven consecutive victories after beginning with a loss. We are halfway through the World Cup cycle and the situation look considerably rosier for the coach than they did previously.

Player Pool and Future Planning

The manager appears that, two years out from the global tournament, he understands the vast majority of the squad he will take to Australia. Naturally, there will be the surprise inclusion. Yet there are not many existing players of the squad who are not on track for the 2027 tournament.

This is an advantage because it posed an issue for his preceding coach, who struggled when it became apparent that certain players were not going to feature in his strategy. He seems to have grasped the nettle sooner, preventing the torrid start that affected the squad in the previous cycle.

Depth charts seem like they belong to seafarers of yesteryear, but managers rely on them and Borthwick can be happy with his. On another day, the team might be nursing their wounds after a heartbreaking narrow loss. The fact they avoided that owes plenty to Ojomoh, fortune, and the quality of the bench. While Borthwick plans the route to the championship, he has positive momentum after an unbeaten run, and as a result we can forgive the paucity of this performance.