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This marks a curious aspect of the English team's November clean sweep that there were no debutants made their international debut throughout the series of matches, a scenario not seen in 25 years. Yet, Max Ojomoh's showing against Argentina while earning his second cap felt like the breakthrough of a major talent.

Star Performance in Tight Win

He proved to be the key player in what was England's most challenging outing of the November series. He scored the first try before setting up the remaining two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a delightful long pass was the highlight play of the first half. Likewise, his quick offload to Henry Slade for England's third try was just as impressive, concluding a fine debut performance at the home stadium for the young player.

He has the sort of versatile skillset that every manager would want from their inside-centre. He can run, kick and pass, and he has appeared at number ten and at multiple midfield roles for Bath this campaign.

Rapid Ascent and Upcoming Opportunities

Only eight days since Steve Borthwick could have believed he had discovered his midfield duo for the long term. However, the best compliment that can be given to Ojomoh is that the coach might need to think again. Ojomoh was initially selected to an national team four years ago, but had to wait until the final match of the overseas trip to make his debut. Fitness issues to other players paved the way for him to begin here, and he undoubtedly will be in contention for a third cap when England reconvene to start their championship campaign in the coming months.

• Versatile Skillset: Excels at fly-half and midfield.
• Key Contributions: Notched a touchdown and set up two more.
• Important Performance: Delivered when teammates were injured.

Squad Background and Broader Implications

Where might England have fared against Argentina without him? Undoubtedly they had some fortune and perhaps it is not surprising that he was their standout performer. The team experienced an inevitable drop-off in intensity following a major win over New Zealand. Perhaps Borthwick should have made more changes.

Some perspective is needed, however. It is tempting to lambast the side for their inability to inject much intensity 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 concludes with eleven consecutive victories after beginning with a loss. We are halfway through the World Cup cycle and the situation look considerably rosier for Borthwick than they did previously.

Player Pool and Long-Term Strategy

The manager appears that, with time remaining from the World Cup, he knows the core group of the squad he will take to Australia. Naturally, there will be the odd bolter. Yet there are not many existing players of the roster who are not on track for the 2027 tournament.

This is an benefit because it posed an issue for his preceding coach, who struggled when it became apparent that veterans were not going to play in his plans. He seems to have taken action sooner, preventing the difficult start that plagued the team in the previous cycle.

Player rankings 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, the team might be nursing their wounds after a gut-wrenching late defeat. The fact they avoided that is largely due to the young star, fortune, and the quality of England's substitutes. While Borthwick plots a course to the Six Nations, he has positive momentum after an unbeaten run, and as a result we can forgive the lack of quality of the recent display.