🔗 Share this article

This marks a curious feature of the English team's autumn clean sweep that no new players earned their first cap during the recent campaign, a scenario not seen in a quarter of a century. Yet, the performance of Max Ojomoh showing against Argentina while earning his second appearance seemed to be the breakthrough of a major talent.

Standout Display in Tight Victory

Ojomoh was the key player in what was the team's least convincing performance of the autumn. He finished off the opening touchdown before setting up the other two. His assist for his teammate via a exquisite cross-field kick was the champagne moment of the first half. Likewise, his popped pass to Henry Slade for the team's final score was equally eye-catching, capping off a excellent debut performance at Twickenham for the 25-year-old.

He has the kind of triple threat that all coaches desire from their midfield player. He can run, kick and pass, and he has appeared at fly-half and at both centre positions for Bath this season.

Rapid Ascent and Upcoming Prospects

Only a little over a week since the head coach could have believed he had finally unearthed his centre partnership for the long term. But, the best compliment that can be paid to the young star is that Borthwick may have to reconsider. Ojomoh was first called up to an England squad four years ago, but had to wait until the final match of the overseas trip to earn his first cap. Injuries to teammates paved the way for him to start here, and he surely will be in contention for a further appearance when England regroup to begin their championship quest in the new year.

• Versatile Skillset: Excels at number ten and centre.
• Key Contributions: Scored one try and assisted two.
• Important Performance: Delivered when teammates were unavailable.

Squad Background and Broader Significance

Where might the team have been against their opponents without him? Undoubtedly they had some fortune and perhaps it is not surprising that he was their best player. England experienced an natural decline in energy following a significant victory over the All Blacks. Maybe the coach ought to have freshened things up.

Some perspective is required, though. One might be inclined to criticize England for their inability to inject much urgency into this match, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were dominating. But, this outcome completes a clean sweep of four autumn fixtures for the first time since recent years. The year ends with 11 straight wins after beginning with a defeat. We are halfway through the four-year tournament plan and things look considerably rosier for Borthwick than they did previously.

Squad Depth and Future Planning

The manager gives the impression that, with time remaining from the World Cup, he understands the core group of the team he will bring to Australia. Of course, there will be the odd bolter. But there are not many current members of the squad who are not on track for the 2027 tournament.

That represents an benefit because it was a problem for his predecessor, who struggled when it was clear that certain players were not going to feature in his strategy. Borthwick seems to have grasped the nettle earlier, preventing the difficult beginning that affected the team in the previous cycle.

Depth charts sound like they belong to seafarers of the past, but managers rely on them and the coach can be satisfied with his. Under different circumstances, the team might be dealing with a loss after a gut-wrenching late defeat. The fact they avoided that owes plenty to Ojomoh, fortune, and the strength of England's substitutes. While the coach plots a course to the championship, he has positive momentum after 11 wins in a row, and as a result we can overlook the paucity of this performance.