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It is a curious aspect of England's November perfect record that there were no debutants earned their first cap during the recent campaign, a scenario not seen in a quarter of a century. However, the performance of Max Ojomoh display against Argentina while securing his second appearance felt like the breakthrough of a future star.

Star Display in Hard-Fought Win

Ojomoh was the star turn in what was the team's least convincing performance of the November series. He finished off the first try before creating the remaining two. The setup for his teammate via a exquisite long pass was the champagne moment of the first half. Likewise, his quick offload to the center for England's final score was equally impressive, capping off a excellent debut performance at Twickenham for the young player.

Ojomoh possesses the kind of versatile skillset 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 Bath this campaign.

Rapid Rise and Future Prospects

Only a little over a week since Steve Borthwick might have felt he had finally unearthed his midfield duo for the long term. However, the best compliment that can be given to Ojomoh is that Borthwick may have to think again. Ojomoh was first called up to an England squad four years ago, but had to wait until the last game of the overseas trip to earn his first cap. Fitness issues to teammates paved the way for Ojomoh to begin here, and he undoubtedly will be in consideration for a third cap when England regroup to start their Six Nations quest in the coming months.

• Multiple Abilities: Excels at number ten and centre.
• Crucial Input: Notched a touchdown and assisted two.
• Important Performance: Stepped up when teammates were injured.

Team Background and Wider Implications

How would the team have been against their opponents without him? Undoubtedly they rode their luck and perhaps it is no coincidence that he was their standout performer. The team experienced an inevitable drop-off in energy following a major win over New Zealand. Perhaps Borthwick should have freshened things up.

A balanced view is required, however. One might be inclined to criticize England for their inability to bring much intensity into this contest, or for nearly losing a fixture they were dominating. However, this result completes a clean sweep of November matches for the initial occasion since 2016. 2025 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 the coach than they did previously.

Squad Depth and Long-Term Strategy

The manager gives the impression that, with time remaining from the global tournament, he understands the vast majority of the team he will bring to the host nation. Of course, there will be the surprise inclusion. But there are very few existing players of the roster who are not on track for the upcoming event.

This is an advantage because it posed an issue for his preceding coach, who struggled when it became apparent that veterans were not going to feature in his strategy. He seems to have grasped the nettle sooner, preventing the torrid start that plagued the team in the previous cycle.

Depth charts seem like they belong to sailors of yesteryear, but managers swear by them and the coach can be happy with his. Under different circumstances, the team might be dealing with a loss after a gut-wrenching narrow loss. The fact they avoided that owes plenty to the young star, luck, and the quality of England's bench. While Borthwick plans the route to the championship, he has positive momentum after 11 wins in a row, and as a result we can forgive the lack of quality of this performance.