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It is a interesting feature of the English team's November perfect record that no new players earned their first cap throughout the recent campaign, a scenario not seen in a quarter of a century. Yet, Max Ojomoh's showing against Argentina while earning his second appearance felt like the arrival of a major talent.

Standout Display in Hard-Fought Win

He proved to be the star turn in what was the team's least convincing outing of the November series. He scored the first try before setting up the remaining two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a delightful long pass was the highlight play of the opening period. Likewise, his quick offload to Henry Slade for the team's third try was just as eye-catching, concluding a excellent first outing at the home stadium for the young player.

He has the kind of triple threat that every manager would want from their inside-centre. He can run, kick and pass, and he has featured at number ten and at multiple midfield roles for his club this season.

Rapid Rise and Future Opportunities

It is just a little over a week since Steve Borthwick might have felt he had discovered his centre partnership for the long term. However, the best compliment that can be given to Ojomoh is that the coach may have to reconsider. He was first called up to an national team previously, but had to wait until the last game of the summer tour to earn his first cap. Injuries to other players created the opportunity for him to start here, and he undoubtedly will be in contention for a third cap when the squad regroup to begin their Six Nations quest in the new year.

• Multiple Abilities: Excels at fly-half and centre.
• Crucial Input: Notched a touchdown and assisted two.
• Important Performance: Delivered when others were unavailable.

Squad Background and Wider Implications

Where might England have fared against Argentina without Ojomoh? Certainly they rode their luck and maybe it is no coincidence that he was their best player. England experienced an natural decline in energy following a major win over New Zealand. Maybe the coach ought to have freshened things up.

A balanced view is needed, however. It is tempting to lambast the side for their inability to bring much urgency into this match, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were dominating. But, this result marks a perfect record of November matches for the initial occasion since 2016. 2025 concludes with eleven consecutive victories after starting with a defeat. The team is midway in the four-year tournament plan and things look much more positive for Borthwick than they did previously.

Squad Depth and Long-Term Strategy

Borthwick appears that, with time remaining from the World Cup, he understands the vast majority of the team he will bring to the host nation. Naturally, there will be the odd bolter. Yet there are not many current members of the roster who are not in contention for the upcoming event.

This is an advantage because it posed an issue for his preceding coach, who found it difficult when it was clear that certain players were not going to feature in his strategy. He seems to have taken action earlier, preventing the difficult beginning that plagued the squad in the previous cycle.

Player rankings seem like they belong to sailors of yesteryear, but managers swear by them and the coach can be satisfied with his. Under different circumstances, England 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 the bench. While the coach plots a course to the Six Nations, he has positive momentum after an unbeaten run, and therefore we can overlook the lack of quality of this performance.