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This marks a curious feature of the English team's November clean sweep that there were no debutants made their international debut throughout the recent campaign, something not seen in a quarter of a century. Yet, Max Ojomoh's display against the Argentine side while earning his second cap felt like the breakthrough of a major talent.

Star Display in Tight Victory

He proved to be the key player in what was England's least convincing performance of the autumn. He scored the first try before creating the other two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a exquisite long pass was the highlight play of the opening period. Likewise, his popped pass to Henry Slade for the team's final score was equally eye-catching, concluding a fine debut performance at the home stadium for the young player.

He has the sort of triple threat that every manager desire from their midfield player. He can run, kick and pass, and he has appeared at fly-half and at multiple midfield roles for Bath this season.

Quick Ascent and Upcoming Opportunities

It is just eight days since the head coach might have felt he had finally unearthed his centre partnership for the long term. However, the highest praise that can be given to Ojomoh is that Borthwick may have to reconsider. Ojomoh was first called up to an England squad previously, but had to bide his time until the last game of the summer tour to earn his first cap. Injuries to other players paved the way for Ojomoh to begin here, and he undoubtedly will be in contention for a further appearance when England reconvene to start their championship quest in the new year.

• Versatile Skillset: Can play number ten and midfield.
• Key Contributions: Scored one try and assisted two.
• Important Performance: Stepped up when others were injured.

Team Context and Wider Significance

Where might the team have fared against their opponents without Ojomoh? Certainly they had some fortune 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 New Zealand. Maybe Borthwick ought to have freshened things up.

Some perspective is needed, though. One might be inclined to criticize England for their inability to inject much intensity into this match, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were dominating. But, this result completes a clean sweep of four autumn fixtures for the first time since recent years. 2025 concludes with eleven consecutive victories after beginning with a loss. The team is halfway through the four-year tournament plan and things look much more positive for Borthwick than they did previously.

Player Pool and Long-Term Strategy

Borthwick gives the impression that, two years out from the global tournament, he understands the core group of the squad he will take to Australia. Naturally, there will be the odd bolter. Yet there are very few current members of the squad who are not on track for the upcoming event.

That represents an advantage because it posed an issue for his preceding coach, who struggled when it was clear that veterans were not going to feature in his plans. He seems to have grasped the nettle earlier, preventing the torrid beginning that plagued the team in the previous cycle.

Player rankings seem like they belong to seafarers of the past, 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. That they were not is largely due to Ojomoh, fortune, and the strength of the substitutes. As the coach plots a course to the championship, he has positive momentum after an unbeaten run, and as a result we can overlook the lack of quality of the recent display.