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It is a interesting feature of the English team's autumn clean sweep that no new players made their first cap throughout the series of matches, something not seen in 25 years. Yet, the performance of Max Ojomoh showing against Argentina while earning his second appearance felt like the breakthrough of a major talent.

Standout Performance in Tight Win

Ojomoh was the key player in what was England's most challenging outing of the autumn. He finished off the first try before creating the other two. The setup for his teammate via a exquisite cross-field kick was the highlight play of the first half. Likewise, his quick offload to Henry Slade for England's third try was equally eye-catching, concluding a fine debut performance at Twickenham for the young player.

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

Quick Rise and Upcoming Opportunities

Only eight days since Steve Borthwick could have believed he had finally unearthed his centre partnership for the future. However, the best compliment that can be paid to Ojomoh is that Borthwick may have to think again. He was first called up to an England squad previously, but had to wait until the final match of the overseas trip to make his debut. Fitness issues to teammates created the opportunity 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.

• Multiple Abilities: Excels at number ten and centre.
• Key Contributions: Scored one try and set up two more.
• Timely Impact: Delivered when teammates were unavailable.

Squad Context and Broader Significance

Where might the team have fared against Argentina without him? Certainly they rode their luck and maybe it is no coincidence that he was their best player. England experienced an natural decline in intensity following a major win over New Zealand. Perhaps the coach should have freshened things up.

A balanced view is needed, however. It is tempting to lambast England for their failure to inject much urgency into this contest, or for nearly losing a game 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 starting with a loss. The team is halfway through the four-year tournament plan and the situation look much more positive for Borthwick than they did at this stage.

Squad Depth and Future Planning

Borthwick appears that, with time remaining from the World Cup, he knows the core group of the team he will bring to the host nation. Naturally, there will be the surprise inclusion. Yet there are very few existing players of the roster who are not on track for the upcoming event.

That represents an advantage because it was a problem for his preceding coach, who found it difficult when it became apparent that certain players were not going to feature in his strategy. Borthwick seems to have taken action sooner, preventing the torrid beginning that plagued the squad in the previous cycle.

Player rankings seem like they belong to seafarers of yesteryear, but managers swear by them and Borthwick can be happy with his. On another day, England might be dealing with a loss after a gut-wrenching narrow loss. That they were not owes plenty to Ojomoh, fortune, and the quality of the bench. While the coach plots a course to the championship, he has wind in England's sails after an unbeaten run, and therefore we can forgive the lack of quality of this performance.