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It is a curious feature of the English team's November perfect record that there were no debutants made their international debut during the recent campaign, something not seen in 25 years. However, Max Ojomoh's showing against Argentina while securing his second appearance felt like the breakthrough of a major talent.

Standout Performance in Hard-Fought Victory

He proved to be the key player in what was the team's least convincing outing of the November series. He scored the opening touchdown before setting up the remaining two. His assist for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a delightful cross-field kick was the highlight play of the first half. Likewise, his quick offload to Henry Slade for the team's final score was just as eye-catching, capping off a excellent first outing at Twickenham for the young player.

Ojomoh possesses the sort of versatile skillset that every manager desire from their inside-centre. He can run, kick and pass, and he has featured at number ten and at multiple midfield roles for his club this season.

Quick Rise and Future Prospects

Only a little over a week since Steve Borthwick could have believed he had discovered his midfield duo for the long term. However, the best compliment that can be paid to the young star is that the coach may have to think again. Ojomoh was first called up to an England squad previously, but had to wait until the last game of the overseas trip to make his debut. Injuries to other players paved the way for him to begin here, and he surely will be in consideration for a further appearance when England regroup to begin their Six Nations quest in the coming months.

• Multiple Abilities: Excels at fly-half and centre.
• Key Contributions: Notched a touchdown and assisted two.
• Timely Impact: Stepped up when others were injured.

Squad Background and Wider Implications

How would England have fared against Argentina without Ojomoh? Undoubtedly they rode their luck and maybe it is not surprising that he was their standout performer. England showed an natural decline in intensity following a significant victory over the All Blacks. Perhaps Borthwick should have made more changes.

A balanced view is needed, however. One might be inclined to lambast the side for their failure to bring much intensity into this match, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were controlling. But, this result marks a clean sweep of November matches for the first time since 2016. 2025 concludes with eleven consecutive victories after starting with a defeat. We are midway in the four-year tournament plan and things look considerably rosier for the coach than they did previously.

Squad Depth and Long-Term Strategy

The manager appears that, with time remaining from the World Cup, he understands the vast majority of the team he will bring to Australia. Naturally, there will be the odd bolter. But there are not many existing players 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 play in his plans. He seems to have taken action earlier, preventing the torrid beginning that affected the squad 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, the team might be dealing with a loss after a heartbreaking narrow loss. That they were not is largely due to the young star, fortune, and the quality of England's substitutes. While the coach plots a course to the championship, he has positive momentum after 11 wins in a row, and as a result we can overlook the lack of quality of this performance.