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This marks a curious feature of the English team's November perfect record that there were no debutants made their first cap during the recent campaign, something not seen in 25 years. However, Max Ojomoh's display against the Argentine side while earning his second cap felt like the breakthrough of a major talent.

Star Display in Hard-Fought Win

He proved to be the key player in what was England's least convincing outing of the autumn. He finished off the first try before setting up the other two. His assist for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a delightful cross-field kick was the champagne moment of the first half. Similarly, his quick offload to Henry Slade for England's final score was equally impressive, capping off a excellent debut performance at Twickenham for the 25-year-old.

Ojomoh possesses the sort of triple threat that all coaches desire from their inside-centre. He can run, kick and pass, and he has featured at number ten and at both centre positions for Bath this season.

Quick Rise and Future Prospects

It is just eight days since Steve Borthwick might have felt he had discovered his midfield duo for the future. But, the highest praise that can be paid to Ojomoh is that the coach might need to think again. He was first called up to an national team previously, but had to bide his time until the final match of the overseas trip to earn his first cap. Fitness issues to other players created the opportunity for him to start here, and he surely will be in consideration for a further appearance when England reconvene to begin their Six Nations quest in the coming months.

• Multiple Abilities: Can play fly-half and midfield.
• Key Contributions: Scored one try and set up two more.
• Timely Impact: Stepped up when teammates were injured.

Team Context and Wider Significance

How would the team have fared against Argentina without Ojomoh? Undoubtedly they rode their luck and maybe it is not surprising that he was their best player. England showed an inevitable drop-off in energy following a significant victory over New Zealand. Maybe the coach should have freshened things up.

A balanced view is needed, though. It is tempting to lambast England for their inability to bring much urgency into this contest, or for almost throwing away a game they were controlling. However, this result marks a perfect record of November matches for the first time since 2016. 2025 ends with 11 straight wins after starting with a defeat. We are halfway through the four-year tournament plan and things look considerably rosier for Borthwick than they did at this stage.

Squad Depth and Future Planning

Borthwick appears that, with time remaining from the World Cup, he understands the core group of the team he will take to Australia. Of course, there will be the surprise inclusion. But there are not many existing players of the squad who are not on track for the 2027 tournament.

This is an advantage because it was a problem for his preceding coach, who found it difficult when it was clear that certain players were not going to play in his plans. He seems to have taken action earlier, avoiding the torrid beginning that affected the squad in the previous cycle.

Depth charts sound like they belong to sailors of the past, but coaches rely on them and the coach can be happy with his. Under different circumstances, the team might be dealing with a loss after a heartbreaking late defeat. That they were not owes plenty to the young star, luck, and the quality of England's substitutes. While Borthwick plots a course to the championship, he has positive momentum after 11 wins in a row, and therefore we can overlook the lack of quality of this performance.