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It is a curious feature of the English team's November clean sweep that no new players earned their first cap throughout the recent campaign, something not seen in a quarter of a century. Yet, Max Ojomoh's display against the Argentine side while securing his second appearance felt like the arrival of a future star.

Star Display in Tight Win

Ojomoh was the star turn in what was the team's least convincing outing of the autumn. He scored the opening touchdown before setting up the remaining two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a delightful long pass was the highlight play of the opening period. Likewise, his popped pass to the center for the team's final score was equally eye-catching, concluding a fine debut performance at Twickenham for the 25-year-old.

Ojomoh possesses the kind of versatile skillset that every manager would want from their inside-centre. His abilities include running, kicking, and passing, and he has appeared at fly-half and at multiple midfield roles for his club this season.

Quick Ascent and Future Prospects

Only a little over a week since the head coach could have believed he had discovered his midfield duo for the future. But, the highest praise that can be given to Ojomoh is that Borthwick may have to reconsider. Ojomoh was initially selected to an England squad previously, but had to bide his time until the last game of the summer tour to make his debut. Injuries to teammates created the opportunity for him to begin here, and he undoubtedly will be in consideration for a third cap when England regroup to begin their championship campaign in the coming months.

• Versatile Skillset: Excels at fly-half and centre.
• Key Contributions: Notched a touchdown and set up two more.
• Timely Impact: Stepped up when others were injured.

Squad Context and Broader Significance

Where might England have fared against Argentina without him? Undoubtedly they had some fortune and maybe it is no coincidence that he was their best player. England experienced an inevitable drop-off in energy following a major win over New Zealand. Perhaps the coach should have made more changes.

Some perspective is needed, however. It is tempting to lambast England for their failure to bring much urgency into this match, or for nearly losing a game they were dominating. But, this result marks a clean sweep of four autumn fixtures for the initial occasion since 2016. 2025 concludes with 11 straight wins after beginning with a loss. We are midway in the World Cup cycle and things look much more positive for the coach than they did at this stage.

Player Pool and Future Planning

Borthwick appears that, with time remaining from the global tournament, he knows the vast majority of the squad he will take to the host nation. Naturally, there will be the odd bolter. But there are not many current members of the squad who are not in contention for the upcoming event.

This is an benefit because it posed an issue for his preceding coach, who found it difficult when it was clear that veterans were not going to feature in his plans. He seems to have taken action sooner, avoiding the torrid beginning that plagued the team in the previous cycle.

Player rankings sound like they are for sailors of the past, but coaches rely on them and Borthwick can be happy with his. Under different circumstances, England might be dealing with a loss after a gut-wrenching narrow loss. The fact they avoided that is largely due to Ojomoh, luck, and the strength of the bench. While the coach plans the route to the championship, he has positive momentum after an unbeaten run, and as a result we can forgive the lack of quality of the recent display.