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This marks a curious feature of the English team's autumn clean sweep that no new players earned their first cap during the series of matches, something not seen in 25 years. Yet, the performance of Max Ojomoh showing against Argentina while earning his second appearance seemed to be the breakthrough of a major talent.

Standout Performance in Tight Victory

Ojomoh was the star turn in what was England's least convincing performance of the autumn. He scored the opening touchdown before creating the remaining two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a exquisite cross-field kick was the champagne moment of the opening period. Similarly, his quick offload to Henry Slade for the team's final score was equally impressive, capping off a excellent first outing at Twickenham for the 25-year-old.

He has the kind of triple threat that every manager would want from their midfield player. He can run, kick and pass, and he has appeared at fly-half and at multiple midfield roles for his club this campaign.

Quick Rise and Upcoming Opportunities

It is just eight days since the head coach could have believed he had discovered his centre partnership for the future. However, the highest praise that can be paid to Ojomoh is that the coach may have to reconsider. He was initially selected to an England squad previously, but had to wait until the last game of the overseas trip to earn his first cap. Injuries to teammates created the opportunity for him to start here, and he undoubtedly will be in contention for a third cap when England reconvene to start their Six Nations campaign in the coming months.

• Versatile Skillset: Excels at number ten and centre.
• Crucial Input: Notched a touchdown and set up two more.
• Timely Impact: Delivered when others were unavailable.

Team Context and Wider Implications

Where might the team have been against their opponents without him? Undoubtedly they had some fortune and maybe it is no coincidence that he was their best player. The team showed an inevitable drop-off in intensity following a significant victory over New Zealand. Maybe the coach ought to have freshened things up.

Some perspective is required, though. One might be inclined to lambast the side for their inability to inject much urgency into this contest, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were controlling. However, this result marks a clean sweep of four autumn fixtures for the first time since 2016. 2025 concludes with 11 straight wins after starting with a defeat. The team is midway in the World Cup cycle and things look much more positive for Borthwick than they did at this stage.

Player Pool and Future Planning

Borthwick gives the impression that, two years out from the global tournament, he understands the vast majority of the squad he will take to the host nation. Naturally, there will be the surprise inclusion. Yet there are not many current members of the squad who are not on track for the 2027 tournament.

That represents an benefit because it was a problem for his predecessor, who struggled when it was clear that veterans were not going to play in his strategy. Borthwick seems to have grasped the nettle earlier, preventing the torrid beginning that plagued the team in the past.

Player rankings seem like they are for seafarers of yesteryear, but managers swear by them and Borthwick can be happy with his. Under different circumstances, England might be nursing their wounds after a heartbreaking narrow loss. The fact they avoided that owes plenty to Ojomoh, luck, and the strength of England's bench. As 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 the recent display.