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It is a interesting feature of the English team's autumn clean sweep that there were no debutants made their international debut throughout the recent campaign, something not seen in 25 years. Yet, Max Ojomoh's showing against the Argentine side while securing his second appearance seemed to be the breakthrough of a future star.

Star Performance in Hard-Fought Victory

Ojomoh was the star turn in what was the team's least convincing performance of the November series. He scored the first try before creating the remaining two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a exquisite cross-field kick was the highlight play of the opening period. Likewise, his quick offload to the center for England's final score was equally impressive, concluding a excellent debut performance at Twickenham for the 25-year-old.

He has the kind of versatile skillset that every manager desire from their inside-centre. His abilities include running, kicking, and passing, and he has appeared at fly-half and at multiple midfield roles for his club this season.

Rapid Ascent and Future Opportunities

Only eight days since the head coach might have felt he had finally unearthed his midfield duo for the future. However, the highest praise that can be given to the young star is that Borthwick might need to reconsider. He was initially selected to an England squad four years ago, but had to wait until the final match of the overseas trip to earn his first cap. Fitness issues to teammates paved the way for Ojomoh to begin here, and he undoubtedly will be in contention for a further appearance when England regroup to start their championship quest in the new year.

• Multiple Abilities: Excels at number ten and midfield.
• Key Contributions: Notched a touchdown and set up two more.
• Important Performance: Delivered when others were unavailable.

Team Context and Wider Implications

How would the team have fared against Argentina without Ojomoh? Undoubtedly they rode their luck and perhaps it is no coincidence that he was their best player. The team experienced an natural decline in intensity following a significant victory over the All Blacks. Maybe Borthwick ought to have made more changes.

A balanced view is needed, however. It is tempting to criticize the side for their failure to inject much intensity into this contest, or for nearly losing a fixture they were controlling. But, this outcome completes a clean sweep of four autumn fixtures for the first time since recent years. 2025 ends with eleven consecutive victories after starting with a loss. We are midway in the four-year tournament plan and the situation look much more positive for the coach than they did previously.

Squad Depth and Long-Term Strategy

The manager appears that, with time remaining from the World Cup, he understands the vast majority of the squad he will bring to Australia. Naturally, there will be the odd bolter. Yet there are very few current members of the roster who are not in contention for the 2027 tournament.

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

Depth charts sound like they belong to sailors of yesteryear, but managers rely on them and Borthwick can be happy with his. Under different circumstances, the team might be nursing their wounds after a heartbreaking narrow loss. The fact they avoided that owes plenty to the young star, luck, and the quality of England's substitutes. While Borthwick plans the route to the championship, he has positive momentum after an unbeaten run, and therefore we can forgive the paucity of this performance.