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This marks a curious aspect of England's November clean sweep that no new players made their international debut during the recent campaign, a scenario not seen in 25 years. Yet, Max Ojomoh's display against Argentina while securing 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 outing of the November series. He scored the first try before setting up the other two. The setup for his teammate via a exquisite long pass was the champagne moment of the first half. Similarly, his quick offload to Henry Slade for England's third try was just as eye-catching, concluding a excellent first outing at Twickenham for the 25-year-old.

Ojomoh possesses the sort of triple threat that all coaches would want from their midfield player. He can run, kick and pass, and he has appeared at fly-half and at both centre positions for his club this season.

Rapid Rise and Upcoming Prospects

It is just a little over a week since the head coach could have believed he had finally unearthed his midfield duo for the future. But, the best compliment that can be given to Ojomoh is that the coach may have to think again. He was initially selected to an England squad four years ago, but had to bide his time until the final match of the overseas trip to make his debut. Fitness issues to teammates paved the way for him to start here, and he surely will be in contention for a third cap when England regroup to begin their championship campaign in the coming months.

• Multiple Abilities: Excels at fly-half and centre.
• Key Contributions: Scored one try and assisted two.
• Timely Impact: Delivered when others were unavailable.

Squad Context and Wider Significance

Where might England have been against their opponents without him? Undoubtedly they rode their luck and maybe it is no coincidence that he was their best player. The team experienced an inevitable drop-off in intensity following a major win over New Zealand. Maybe Borthwick ought to have freshened things up.

A balanced view is required, though. One might be inclined to criticize England for their failure to bring much intensity into this contest, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were controlling. But, this result marks a clean sweep of November matches for the initial occasion since recent years. 2025 ends with eleven consecutive victories after beginning with a loss. The team is halfway through the World Cup cycle and things look much more positive for Borthwick than they did previously.

Player Pool and Future Planning

Borthwick appears that, with time remaining from the World Cup, he knows the vast majority of the squad he will take to the host nation. Of course, there will be the odd bolter. Yet there are not many current members of the squad who are not on track for the upcoming event.

That represents an benefit because it posed an issue for his predecessor, who struggled when it was clear that certain players were not going to play in his plans. He seems to have taken action earlier, preventing the torrid start that affected the team in the past.

Depth charts seem like they are for seafarers of the past, but managers swear by them and the coach can be happy with his. Under different circumstances, England might be nursing their wounds after a gut-wrenching narrow loss. That they were not is largely due to Ojomoh, luck, and the strength of England's substitutes. While the coach plans the route to the championship, he has positive momentum after 11 wins in a row, and as a result we can forgive the paucity of this performance.