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It is a curious feature of the English team's autumn perfect record that no new players earned their international debut during the recent campaign, something not seen in a quarter of a century. Yet, the performance of Max Ojomoh showing against the Argentine side while securing his second cap seemed to be the breakthrough of a major talent.

Star Performance in Hard-Fought Victory

He proved to be the star turn in what was England's most challenging outing of the autumn. He scored the first try before creating the other two. His assist for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a delightful cross-field kick was the highlight play of the first half. Similarly, his popped pass to Henry Slade for the team's final score was equally eye-catching, concluding a excellent first outing at Twickenham for the young player.

Ojomoh possesses the sort of triple threat that every manager would want from their midfield player. He can run, kick and pass, and he has featured at fly-half and at both centre positions for his club this season.

Rapid Rise and Upcoming Prospects

It is just eight days since the head coach might have felt he had finally unearthed his midfield duo for the future. However, the best compliment that can be paid to Ojomoh is that Borthwick might need to think again. Ojomoh was initially selected to an England squad previously, but had to bide his time until the final match of the summer tour to earn his first cap. Injuries to other players created the opportunity for him to start here, and he surely will be in contention for a third cap when the squad regroup to begin their Six Nations campaign in the coming months.

• Versatile Skillset: Excels at fly-half and midfield.
• Key Contributions: Notched a touchdown and assisted two.
• Timely Impact: Stepped up when others were unavailable.

Team Context and Wider Implications

How would the team have been against Argentina without Ojomoh? Undoubtedly they rode their luck and maybe it is no coincidence that he was their standout performer. England experienced an natural decline in intensity following a significant victory over the All Blacks. Maybe the coach ought to have freshened things up.

Some perspective is required, however. It is tempting to criticize England for their inability to inject much intensity into this match, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were controlling. However, this result marks a clean sweep of four autumn fixtures for the initial occasion since 2016. 2025 concludes with 11 straight wins after beginning with a loss. The team is midway in the World Cup cycle and things look considerably rosier for Borthwick than they did at this stage.

Squad Depth and Long-Term Strategy

The manager gives the impression that, two years out from the World Cup, he understands the vast majority of the squad he will take to Australia. Naturally, there will be the odd bolter. But there are not many current members of the squad who are not in contention for the upcoming event.

This is an advantage because it was a problem for his preceding coach, who found it difficult when it became apparent that certain players were not going to play in his plans. He seems to have grasped the nettle sooner, avoiding the torrid beginning that plagued the team in the past.

Player rankings seem like they belong to seafarers of the past, but coaches rely on 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 owes plenty to the young star, luck, and the strength of the substitutes. While Borthwick plots a course to the Six Nations, he has wind in England's sails after an unbeaten run, and as a result we can overlook the lack of quality of the recent display.