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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 throughout the series of matches, something not seen in a quarter of a century. Yet, Max Ojomoh's showing against the Argentine side while earning his second appearance felt like the breakthrough of a major talent.

Standout Performance in Hard-Fought Win

He proved to be the star turn in what was England's most challenging outing of the November series. He finished off the first try before creating the remaining two. His assist for his teammate via a delightful cross-field kick was the champagne moment of the opening period. Likewise, his quick offload to Henry Slade for the team's final score was just as eye-catching, concluding a excellent debut performance at the home stadium for the young player.

He has the kind of triple threat that every manager desire from their midfield player. He can run, kick and pass, and he has appeared at fly-half and at multiple midfield roles for Bath this season.

Quick Rise and Upcoming Prospects

Only a little over a week since Steve Borthwick might have felt he had finally unearthed his midfield duo for the long term. But, the highest praise that can be paid to Ojomoh is that Borthwick might need to reconsider. Ojomoh was first called up to an national team previously, but had to wait until the last game of the summer tour to make his debut. Fitness issues to teammates paved the way for him to begin here, and he surely will be in contention for a third cap when the squad regroup to begin their Six Nations campaign in the new year.

• Versatile Skillset: Excels at fly-half and midfield.
• Crucial Input: Scored one try and set up two more.
• Important Performance: Stepped up when teammates were injured.

Squad Context and Wider Significance

How would the team have been against Argentina without him? Certainly they rode their luck and perhaps it is no coincidence that he was their best player. The team showed an inevitable drop-off in energy following a major win over the All Blacks. Maybe Borthwick should have freshened things up.

Some perspective is needed, though. One might be inclined to criticize England for their failure to bring much intensity into this contest, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were controlling. But, this result completes a clean sweep of November matches for the first time since recent years. 2025 ends with eleven consecutive victories after beginning with a loss. 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 Future Planning

Borthwick gives the impression that, two years out from the global tournament, he understands the core group of the squad he will bring to the host nation. Of course, there will be the odd bolter. But there are not many current members of the roster who are not on track for the upcoming event.

This is an advantage because it was a problem for his predecessor, who found it difficult when it was clear that veterans were not going to feature in his strategy. Borthwick seems to have taken action sooner, preventing the difficult start that affected the squad in the previous cycle.

Depth charts seem like they belong to seafarers of yesteryear, but coaches swear by them and Borthwick can be satisfied with his. Under different circumstances, the team might be dealing with a loss after a heartbreaking narrow loss. The fact they avoided that owes plenty to Ojomoh, fortune, and the strength of the substitutes. While the coach plots a course to the Six Nations, he has wind in England's sails after 11 wins in a row, and as a result we can overlook the paucity of this performance.