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It is a curious aspect of the English team's November clean sweep that there were no debutants made their first cap during the series of matches, something not seen in a quarter of a century. Yet, the performance of Max Ojomoh showing against Argentina while securing his second appearance seemed to be the arrival of a future star.

Star Performance in Hard-Fought Victory

He proved to be the star turn in what was England's most challenging performance of the autumn. He finished off the first try before setting up the remaining two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a exquisite cross-field kick was the highlight play of the first half. Similarly, his quick offload to Henry Slade for England's final score was equally eye-catching, concluding a excellent first outing at Twickenham for the 25-year-old.

Ojomoh possesses the kind of triple threat that all coaches desire from their midfield player. His abilities include running, kicking, and passing, and he has featured at fly-half and at multiple midfield roles for his club this season.

Quick Rise and Future Prospects

Only a little over a week since Steve Borthwick could have believed he had finally unearthed his centre partnership for the long term. But, the best compliment that can be paid to Ojomoh is that the coach may have to think again. He was first called up to an England squad previously, but had to bide his time until the final match of the summer tour to earn his first cap. Fitness issues to teammates created the opportunity for him to start here, and he surely will be in consideration for a third cap when England regroup to start their championship quest in the coming months.

• Multiple Abilities: Excels at number ten and midfield.
• Key Contributions: Scored one try and assisted two.
• Important Performance: Delivered when others were injured.

Squad Context and Wider Significance

Where might England have fared against their opponents without Ojomoh? Certainly they rode their luck and perhaps it is not surprising that he was their best player. England experienced an natural decline in energy following a major win over the All Blacks. Perhaps Borthwick should have freshened things up.

Some perspective is needed, though. It is tempting to lambast the side for their inability to bring much urgency into this match, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were dominating. However, this result marks a clean sweep of four autumn fixtures for the initial occasion since recent years. 2025 ends with eleven consecutive victories after beginning with a loss. We are midway in the World Cup cycle and things look considerably rosier for Borthwick than they did at this stage.

Player Pool and Future Planning

Borthwick gives the impression 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 existing players of the squad who are not on track for the 2027 tournament.

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

Player rankings sound like they belong to seafarers of yesteryear, 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 heartbreaking late defeat. That they were not is largely due to the young star, fortune, and the strength of the substitutes. While the coach plots a course to the Six Nations, he has positive momentum after an unbeaten run, and therefore we can overlook the paucity of this performance.