This marks a curious feature of England's November clean sweep that no new players earned their first cap during the series of matches, a scenario not seen in 25 years. Yet, the performance of Max Ojomoh showing against Argentina while securing his second appearance felt like the breakthrough of a future star.
Star Display in Tight Victory
Ojomoh was the star turn in what was England's most challenging performance of the autumn. He finished off the opening touchdown before creating the other two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a exquisite cross-field kick was the champagne moment of the opening period. Similarly, his quick offload to the center for the team's final score was equally eye-catching, concluding a fine debut performance at Twickenham for the young player.
Ojomoh possesses the kind of versatile skillset that every manager desire from their inside-centre. He can run, kick and pass, and he has featured at fly-half and at both centre positions for Bath this campaign.
Rapid Rise and Future Prospects
It is just a little over a week since the head coach could have believed he had finally unearthed his midfield duo for the long term. But, the best compliment that can be paid to Ojomoh is that Borthwick might need to think again. He was first called up to an England squad previously, but had to wait until the final match of the summer tour to make his debut. Fitness issues to other players paved the way for Ojomoh to begin here, and he surely will be in consideration for a further appearance when the squad reconvene to begin their Six Nations quest in the coming months.
- Multiple Abilities: Can play number ten and midfield.
- Key Contributions: Notched a touchdown and set up two more.
- Important Performance: Delivered when others were injured.
Squad Context and Broader Implications
Where might England have fared against their opponents without Ojomoh? Undoubtedly they had some fortune and maybe it is not surprising 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 needed, however. It is tempting to lambast England for their failure to inject much intensity into this match, or for nearly losing a fixture they were controlling. However, this result marks a perfect record of November matches for the initial occasion since recent years. 2025 concludes with 11 straight wins after starting with a loss. The team is midway in the World Cup cycle and things look much more positive for Borthwick than they did at this stage.
Player Pool and Long-Term Strategy
The manager appears that, two years out from the World Cup, he understands the vast majority of the team he will take to Australia. Of course, there will be the surprise inclusion. But there are not many current members of the roster who are not in contention for the 2027 tournament.
This is an advantage because it posed an issue for his predecessor, who found it difficult when it was clear that veterans were not going to play in his strategy. He seems to have taken action earlier, avoiding the difficult beginning that plagued the squad in the past.
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 nursing their wounds after a gut-wrenching narrow loss. The fact they avoided that is largely due to Ojomoh, luck, and the quality of England's substitutes. While the coach plans the route to the championship, he has positive momentum after an unbeaten run, and therefore we can forgive the lack of quality of the recent display.
