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This marks a curious aspect of England's November clean sweep that no new players earned their first cap during the recent campaign, something not seen in a quarter of a century. Yet, the performance of Max Ojomoh display against the Argentine side while earning his second appearance felt like the breakthrough of a major talent.

Standout Performance in Tight Victory

Ojomoh was the key player in what was England's most challenging outing of the autumn. He finished off the first try before creating the remaining two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a exquisite long pass was the champagne moment of the opening period. Likewise, his popped pass to Henry Slade for England's third try was just as impressive, concluding a fine debut performance at Twickenham for the young player.

Ojomoh possesses the kind of triple threat that all coaches would want from their midfield player. He can run, kick and pass, and he has featured at fly-half and at multiple midfield roles for Bath this campaign.

Rapid Ascent and Future Opportunities

Only a little over a week since Steve Borthwick might have felt he had discovered his centre partnership for the future. However, the best compliment that can be given to the young star is that the coach might need to reconsider. Ojomoh was first called up to an England squad previously, but had to bide his time until the last game of the overseas trip to make his debut. Fitness issues to other players created the opportunity for him to begin here, and he undoubtedly will be in contention for a third cap when England regroup to start their Six Nations campaign in the coming months.

• Multiple Abilities: Excels at number ten and centre.
• Key Contributions: Notched a touchdown and set up two more.
• Important Performance: Stepped up when others were injured.

Squad Background and Broader Implications

How would the team have been against Argentina without him? Certainly they rode their luck and perhaps it is not surprising that he was their best player. England showed an inevitable drop-off in energy following a major win over the All Blacks. Perhaps Borthwick ought to have made more changes.

Some perspective is needed, though. One might be inclined to criticize England for their failure to inject much intensity into this match, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were dominating. But, this result marks a perfect record of four autumn fixtures for the first time since 2016. The year ends with eleven consecutive victories after starting with a loss. The team is halfway through the four-year tournament plan and things look considerably rosier for Borthwick than they did at this stage.

Squad Depth and Long-Term Strategy

The manager appears that, with time remaining from the World Cup, he knows the core group of the team he will take to the host nation. Naturally, there will be the odd bolter. But there are very few existing players of the squad who are not in contention for the upcoming event.

This is an benefit 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 earlier, preventing the torrid start that affected the squad in the previous cycle.

Depth charts seem like they are for seafarers of the past, but coaches swear by them and Borthwick can be satisfied with his. Under different circumstances, the team might be dealing with a loss after a heartbreaking narrow loss. The fact they avoided that owes plenty to the young star, luck, and the quality of the bench. As Borthwick plots a course to the championship, he has wind in England's sails after 11 wins in a row, and as a result we can forgive the paucity of this performance.