🔗 Share this article

This marks a interesting feature of England's autumn clean sweep 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 the Argentine side while securing his second appearance seemed to be the arrival of a major talent.

Standout Performance in Hard-Fought Win

He proved to be the star turn in what was the team's least convincing outing of the autumn. He finished off the opening touchdown before creating the other two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a exquisite long pass was the highlight play of the opening period. Likewise, his quick offload to the center for the team's final score was just as eye-catching, capping off a excellent first outing at Twickenham for the young player.

He has the kind of versatile skillset that every manager desire from their inside-centre. He can run, kick and pass, and he has appeared at number ten and at multiple midfield roles for Bath this campaign.

Rapid Rise and Upcoming Opportunities

Only a little over a week since Steve Borthwick might have felt he had finally unearthed his centre partnership for the future. But, the highest praise that can be paid to the young star is that the coach may have to think again. He was initially selected to an England squad four years ago, but had to bide his time until the last game of the summer tour to make his debut. Fitness issues to teammates paved the way for Ojomoh to start here, and he surely will be in contention for a third cap when England regroup to start their championship quest in the coming months.

• Multiple Abilities: Can play fly-half and midfield.
• Key Contributions: Scored one try and assisted two.
• Timely Impact: Stepped up when teammates were unavailable.

Team Background and Broader Significance

Where might the team have fared against Argentina without him? Certainly they had some fortune and perhaps it is no coincidence that he was their standout performer. England experienced an inevitable drop-off in intensity following a significant victory over the All Blacks. Perhaps the coach ought to have freshened things up.

A balanced view is needed, however. It is tempting to lambast the side for their failure to bring much intensity into this contest, or for nearly losing a game they were dominating. But, this result marks a clean sweep of November matches for the first time since 2016. The year ends with 11 straight wins after beginning with a loss. We are midway in the four-year tournament plan and things look considerably rosier for Borthwick than they did previously.

Player Pool and Future Planning

Borthwick gives the impression that, two years out from the global tournament, he knows the vast majority of the squad he will take to the host nation. Naturally, there will be the surprise inclusion. But there are not many current members of the roster who are not in contention for the upcoming event.

That represents an advantage because it was a problem for his preceding coach, who struggled when it became apparent that certain players were not going to feature in his plans. Borthwick seems to have taken action sooner, preventing the difficult start that plagued the squad in the past.

Player rankings sound like they are for seafarers of the past, but managers swear by them and Borthwick can be happy with his. On another day, England might be nursing their wounds after a heartbreaking narrow loss. The fact they avoided that owes plenty to the young star, fortune, and the quality of the bench. As Borthwick plans the route to the Six Nations, he has positive momentum after an unbeaten run, and therefore we can overlook the paucity of this performance.