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It is a curious aspect of the English team's November clean sweep that no new players earned their first cap during the series of matches, a scenario not seen in 25 years. However, Max Ojomoh's display against Argentina while securing his second cap felt like the breakthrough of a future star.

Star Performance in Tight Victory

Ojomoh was the key player in what was England's most challenging outing of the autumn. He scored the first try before creating the remaining two. His assist for his teammate via a exquisite cross-field kick was the champagne moment of the first half. Similarly, his popped pass to Henry Slade for England's third try was just as eye-catching, capping off a excellent first outing at the home stadium for the 25-year-old.

He has the kind of triple threat that all coaches would want from their inside-centre. He can run, kick and pass, and he has appeared at fly-half and at both centre positions for his club this campaign.

Rapid Rise and Future Opportunities

It is just a little over a week since the head coach could have believed he had finally unearthed his centre partnership for the future. However, the best compliment that can be paid to the young star is that the coach might need to reconsider. Ojomoh was first called up to an national team four years ago, but had to wait until the last game of the overseas trip to make his debut. Fitness issues to teammates paved the way for him to start here, and he surely will be in contention for a further appearance when the squad regroup to start their championship quest in the new year.

• Multiple Abilities: Excels at number ten and midfield.
• Crucial Input: Notched a touchdown and assisted two.
• Timely Impact: Delivered when others were injured.

Team Background and Wider Significance

Where might England have been against Argentina without him? Certainly they had some fortune and maybe it is not surprising that he was their best player. England experienced an natural decline in intensity following a major win over New Zealand. Maybe the coach should have made more changes.

Some perspective is required, however. It is tempting to lambast the side for their inability to inject much urgency into this contest, or for nearly losing a game they were controlling. But, this result marks a clean sweep of four autumn fixtures for the first time since recent years. 2025 ends with eleven consecutive victories after beginning with a loss. The team is halfway through the World Cup cycle and the situation look considerably rosier for the coach than they did at this stage.

Player Pool and Future Planning

The manager appears that, two years out from the World Cup, he knows the vast majority of the team he will take to Australia. Naturally, there will be the odd bolter. But there are not many current members of the roster who are not on track for the 2027 tournament.

That represents an benefit because it posed an issue for his predecessor, who struggled when it became apparent that veterans were not going to play in his plans. Borthwick seems to have taken action earlier, preventing the torrid start that plagued the team in the previous cycle.

Depth charts seem like they are for sailors of the past, but managers swear by them and the coach can be happy with his. Under different circumstances, the team might be dealing with a loss after a gut-wrenching late defeat. The fact they avoided that is largely due to Ojomoh, fortune, and the strength of the substitutes. While the coach plans the route to the Six Nations, he has positive momentum after 11 wins in a row, and therefore we can overlook the paucity of this performance.