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It is a interesting feature of England's November clean sweep that no new players made their international debut during the recent campaign, a scenario not seen in 25 years. However, Max Ojomoh's showing against Argentina while earning his second appearance felt like the arrival of a future star.

Star Performance in Hard-Fought Victory

He proved to be the star turn in what was England's most challenging performance of the autumn. He finished off the first try before setting up the other two. His assist for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a delightful long pass was the champagne moment of the first half. Likewise, his quick offload to Henry Slade for England's third try was equally eye-catching, capping off a excellent first outing at the home stadium for the young player.

He has the kind of versatile skillset that all coaches desire from their midfield player. His abilities include running, kicking, and passing, and he has featured at number ten and at multiple midfield roles for Bath this season.

Quick Rise and Future Prospects

It is just eight days since Steve Borthwick might have felt he had discovered his centre partnership for the future. But, the best compliment that can be given to Ojomoh is that the coach may have to reconsider. Ojomoh was initially selected to an national team four years ago, but had to wait until the last game of the summer tour to earn his first cap. Fitness issues to teammates paved the way for him to begin here, and he surely will be in contention for a third cap when England regroup to begin their championship quest in the coming months.

• Versatile Skillset: Can play number ten and midfield.
• Key Contributions: Notched a touchdown and assisted two.
• Timely Impact: Stepped up when others were injured.

Team Context and Wider Significance

How would the team have fared against their opponents without Ojomoh? Certainly they had some fortune and maybe it is not surprising that he was their standout performer. England showed an inevitable drop-off in energy following a major win over New Zealand. Maybe Borthwick ought to have freshened things up.

Some perspective is required, however. It is tempting to lambast the side for their failure to inject much intensity into this match, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were dominating. However, this result completes a clean sweep 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 World Cup cycle and the situation look considerably rosier for the coach than they did at this stage.

Player Pool and Long-Term Strategy

The manager appears that, with time remaining from the World Cup, he knows the core group of the team he will bring to the host nation. Of course, there will be the odd bolter. Yet there are not many existing players of the roster who are not on track for the 2027 tournament.

That represents an advantage because it was a problem for his predecessor, who struggled when it was clear that veterans were not going to play in his strategy. He seems to have taken action earlier, preventing the difficult beginning that plagued the team in the past.

Player rankings sound like they belong to sailors of yesteryear, but coaches rely on them and Borthwick can be satisfied with his. Under different circumstances, the team might be nursing their wounds after a heartbreaking late defeat. The fact they avoided that is largely due to the young star, luck, and the strength of England's substitutes. As the coach plots a course to the Six Nations, he has positive momentum after 11 wins in a row, and therefore we can overlook the lack of quality of the recent display.