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It is a curious aspect of the English team's autumn clean sweep that no new players earned their first cap during the series of matches, a scenario not seen in a quarter of a century. Yet, the performance of Max Ojomoh display against Argentina while earning his second appearance seemed to be the arrival of a future star.

Star Display in Tight Win

Ojomoh was the key player in what was the team's least convincing performance of the November series. He scored the first try before setting up the other two. His assist for his teammate via a exquisite cross-field kick was the highlight play of the opening period. Likewise, his popped pass to the center for England's final score was just as eye-catching, concluding 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. His abilities include running, kicking, and passing, and he has appeared at number ten and at multiple midfield roles for Bath this campaign.

Quick Rise and Upcoming Opportunities

Only a little over a week since Steve Borthwick could have believed he had discovered his centre partnership for the long term. However, the highest praise that can be paid to Ojomoh is that the coach might need to reconsider. Ojomoh was first called up to an national team four years ago, but had to wait until the final match of the summer tour to earn his first cap. Fitness issues to teammates paved the way for Ojomoh to begin here, and he surely will be in contention for a further appearance when the squad reconvene to start their Six Nations campaign in the new year.

• Versatile Skillset: Excels at fly-half and midfield.
• Key Contributions: Scored one try and assisted two.
• Timely Impact: Stepped up when teammates were injured.

Team Context and Wider Implications

How would the team have been against their opponents without him? Certainly they had some fortune and maybe it is no coincidence that he was their standout performer. England experienced an natural decline in intensity following a major win over New Zealand. Perhaps Borthwick should have made more changes.

Some perspective is needed, though. One might be inclined to criticize England for their inability to inject much urgency into this contest, or for nearly losing a game they were dominating. However, this outcome completes a perfect record of November matches for the first time since 2016. The year concludes with eleven consecutive victories after starting with a defeat. We are halfway through the World Cup cycle and things look much more positive for Borthwick than they did previously.

Player Pool and Long-Term Strategy

The manager gives the impression that, with time remaining from the World Cup, he knows the vast majority of the squad he will bring to Australia. Naturally, there will be the surprise inclusion. But there are not many existing players of the squad who are not in contention for the 2027 tournament.

That represents an benefit because it was a problem for his preceding coach, who found it difficult when it became apparent that veterans were not going to feature in his strategy. Borthwick seems to have taken action earlier, avoiding the difficult beginning that plagued the team in the previous cycle.

Depth charts seem like they are for sailors of yesteryear, 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 narrow loss. The fact they avoided that is largely due to Ojomoh, luck, and the quality of England's bench. As the coach plans the route to the Six Nations, he has wind in England's sails after an unbeaten run, and as a result we can forgive the lack of quality of the recent display.