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This marks a curious aspect of the English team's autumn perfect record that no new players made their international debut during the series of matches, something not seen in a quarter of a century. However, Max Ojomoh's showing against the Argentine side while earning his second appearance seemed to be the breakthrough of a future star.

Star Display in Hard-Fought Victory

Ojomoh was the key player in what was England's most challenging performance of the November series. He finished off the opening touchdown before creating the other two. His assist for his teammate via a delightful cross-field kick was the highlight play of the first half. Likewise, his popped pass to the center for England's final score was just as impressive, capping off a fine debut performance at the home stadium for the 25-year-old.

He has the kind of triple threat that every manager would want from their midfield player. His abilities include running, kicking, and passing, and he has featured at fly-half and at multiple midfield roles for his club this season.

Rapid Ascent and Future Opportunities

It is just a little over a week since Steve Borthwick might have felt he had finally unearthed his centre partnership for the long term. However, the highest praise that can be paid to Ojomoh is that the coach might need to think again. He was initially selected to an national team previously, but had to bide his time until the final match of the summer tour to make his debut. Fitness issues to other players paved the way for Ojomoh to start here, and he undoubtedly will be in contention for a third cap when England regroup to begin their championship quest in the coming months.

• Multiple Abilities: Excels at fly-half and midfield.
• Key Contributions: Scored one try and set up two more.
• Timely Impact: Stepped up when others were unavailable.

Squad Background and Broader Significance

How would the team have fared against their opponents without Ojomoh? Undoubtedly they had some fortune and maybe it is no coincidence that he was their standout performer. The team experienced an natural decline in energy following a significant victory over the All Blacks. Perhaps Borthwick should have freshened things up.

A balanced view is required, however. It is tempting to criticize England for their failure to inject much intensity into this contest, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were dominating. But, this result completes a perfect record of four autumn fixtures for the first time since 2016. 2025 ends with 11 straight wins after beginning 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 previously.

Player Pool and Future Planning

Borthwick appears that, two years out from the global tournament, he knows the core group of the team he will bring to the host nation. Naturally, there will be the odd bolter. But there are very few existing players of the squad who are not in contention for the 2027 tournament.

This is an advantage because it was a problem for his preceding coach, who struggled when it became apparent that certain players were not going to feature in his plans. He seems to have grasped the nettle sooner, preventing the torrid beginning that affected the team in the previous cycle.

Player rankings sound like they belong to sailors of the past, but coaches swear by them and Borthwick can be happy with his. On another day, the team might be nursing their wounds after a gut-wrenching narrow loss. The fact they avoided that owes plenty to Ojomoh, luck, and the strength of the substitutes. While the coach plans the route to the Six Nations, he has positive momentum after an unbeaten run, and therefore we can overlook the lack of quality of this performance.