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This marks a curious feature of the English team's autumn perfect record that no new players earned their first cap throughout the recent campaign, a scenario not seen in a quarter of a century. However, the performance of Max Ojomoh showing against the Argentine side while securing his second appearance seemed to be the arrival of a major talent.

Standout Performance in Tight Victory

Ojomoh was the star turn in what was England's least convincing performance of the November series. He finished off the opening touchdown before setting up the remaining two. His assist for his teammate via a exquisite long pass was the champagne moment of the first half. Likewise, his quick offload to Henry Slade for England's final score was just as impressive, concluding a excellent first outing at the home stadium for the 25-year-old.

He has the sort of triple threat that every manager desire from their midfield player. His abilities include running, kicking, and passing, and he has featured at fly-half and at both centre positions for his club this season.

Rapid Rise and Future Prospects

Only a little over a week since the head coach could have believed he had discovered his centre partnership for the long term. But, the highest praise that can be paid to Ojomoh is that Borthwick may have to reconsider. He was initially selected to an national team four years ago, but had to wait until the final match of the overseas trip to earn his first cap. Fitness issues to teammates created the opportunity for Ojomoh to start here, and he surely will be in consideration for a third cap when England reconvene to start their championship quest in the coming months.

• Multiple Abilities: Can play fly-half and centre.
• Crucial Input: Notched a touchdown and set up two more.
• Timely Impact: Stepped up when teammates were injured.

Squad Background and Broader Implications

How would the team have fared against their opponents without him? Certainly they had some fortune and maybe it is no coincidence that he was their best player. The team experienced an natural decline in intensity following a significant victory over New Zealand. Perhaps the coach should have made more changes.

Some perspective is required, however. One might be inclined to criticize England for their inability to bring much intensity into this contest, or for nearly losing a fixture they were dominating. But, this outcome marks a perfect record of November matches for the first time since 2016. 2025 concludes with 11 straight wins after beginning with a defeat. We are halfway through the four-year tournament plan and things look much more positive for Borthwick than they did at this stage.

Player Pool and Long-Term Strategy

Borthwick gives the impression that, with time remaining from the World Cup, he understands the vast majority of the team he will take to the host nation. Naturally, there will be the odd bolter. Yet there are very few current members of the roster who are not in contention for the 2027 tournament.

That represents an advantage because it posed an issue for his preceding coach, who found it difficult when it became apparent that veterans were not going to play in his strategy. He seems to have taken action earlier, preventing the torrid beginning that affected the squad in the previous cycle.

Player rankings seem like they are for sailors of yesteryear, but managers swear by them and Borthwick can be satisfied with his. Under different circumstances, the team might be dealing with a loss after a heartbreaking late defeat. The fact they avoided that is largely due to Ojomoh, luck, and the quality of England's substitutes. While the coach plots a course to the Six Nations, he has positive momentum after an unbeaten run, and as a result we can overlook the paucity of this performance.