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It is a curious feature of England's November clean sweep that no new players earned their international debut throughout the series of matches, a scenario not seen in a quarter of a century. Yet, Max Ojomoh's showing against the Argentine side while securing his second appearance seemed to be the breakthrough of a future star.

Standout Performance in Hard-Fought Victory

He proved to be the star turn in what was the team's most challenging performance of the November series. He scored the opening touchdown before setting up the remaining two. His assist for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a delightful long pass was the highlight play of the opening period. Similarly, his popped pass to Henry Slade for England's final score was just as eye-catching, concluding a fine debut performance at Twickenham for the 25-year-old.

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

Quick Rise and Upcoming Prospects

Only a little over a week since the head coach might have felt he had discovered his centre partnership for the future. However, the best compliment that can be given to the young star is that the coach might need to think again. Ojomoh 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. Injuries to teammates paved the way for him to begin here, and he undoubtedly will be in consideration for a third cap when the squad reconvene to begin their championship campaign in the coming months.

• Multiple Abilities: Excels at fly-half and midfield.
• Key Contributions: Notched a touchdown and set up two more.
• Important Performance: Stepped up when teammates were unavailable.

Squad Context and Wider Implications

How would the team have been against Argentina without Ojomoh? Certainly they had some fortune and perhaps it is not surprising that he was their best player. The team experienced an natural decline in intensity following a major win over the All Blacks. Maybe Borthwick should have freshened things up.

Some perspective is required, though. It is tempting to criticize the side for their failure to bring much urgency into this contest, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were dominating. However, this result marks a clean sweep of November matches for the initial occasion since 2016. 2025 ends with 11 straight wins after beginning with a defeat. We are halfway through the four-year tournament plan and the situation look much more positive for the coach than they did at this stage.

Squad Depth and Long-Term Strategy

The manager gives the impression that, with time remaining from the World Cup, he knows the vast majority of the squad he will take to Australia. Of course, 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.

This is an benefit because it was a problem for his predecessor, who found it difficult when it was clear that veterans were not going to play in his strategy. He seems to have taken action sooner, preventing the difficult beginning that plagued the team in the previous cycle.

Depth charts sound like they belong to seafarers of the past, but managers swear by them and Borthwick can be satisfied with his. On another day, England might be nursing their wounds after a gut-wrenching late defeat. That they were not is largely due to Ojomoh, luck, and the strength of the bench. While the coach plots a course to the Six Nations, he has positive momentum after an unbeaten run, and therefore we can overlook the lack of quality of this performance.