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It is a curious feature of England's autumn perfect record that there were no debutants made their first cap during the recent campaign, something not seen in a quarter of a century. However, the performance of Max Ojomoh showing against Argentina while earning his second cap seemed to be the arrival of a future star.

Star Performance in Hard-Fought Victory

He proved to be the key player in what was the team's most challenging outing of the November series. He finished off the first try before setting up the remaining two. His assist for his teammate via a exquisite long pass was the highlight play of the first half. Likewise, his popped pass to the center for the team's third try was equally impressive, capping off a fine debut performance at the home stadium for the young player.

Ojomoh possesses the sort of versatile skillset that every manager desire 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.

Quick Rise and Future Opportunities

It is just eight days since the head coach could have believed he had discovered his centre partnership for the long term. However, the best compliment that can be given to the young star is that the coach may have to think again. He was first called up to an England squad four years ago, but had to wait until the last game of the summer tour to make his debut. Fitness issues to other players paved the way for Ojomoh to begin here, and he undoubtedly will be in contention for a third cap when the squad regroup to begin their Six Nations campaign in the coming months.

• Multiple Abilities: Excels at fly-half and midfield.
• Key Contributions: Notched a touchdown and assisted two.
• Timely Impact: Stepped up when others were unavailable.

Squad Context and Broader Significance

How would the team have been against Argentina without Ojomoh? Undoubtedly they rode their luck and perhaps it is no coincidence that he was their standout performer. The team experienced an inevitable drop-off in intensity following a significant victory over New Zealand. Perhaps the coach should have freshened things up.

Some perspective is needed, though. One might be inclined to criticize England for their failure to bring much intensity into this contest, or for nearly losing a fixture they were controlling. But, this result completes a clean sweep of four autumn fixtures for the first time since recent years. 2025 concludes with 11 straight wins after beginning with a defeat. We are midway in the four-year tournament plan and things look much more positive for Borthwick than they did previously.

Player Pool and Long-Term Strategy

Borthwick appears that, two years out from the World Cup, he knows the vast majority of the squad he will bring to the host nation. Of course, there will be the surprise inclusion. But there are very few existing players of the roster who are not on track for the upcoming event.

That represents an advantage because it was a problem for his predecessor, who struggled when it became apparent that certain players were not going to play in his plans. Borthwick seems to have grasped the nettle sooner, preventing the difficult beginning that plagued the squad in the previous cycle.

Depth charts sound like they belong to sailors of yesteryear, but coaches swear by them and Borthwick can be satisfied with his. Under different circumstances, England might be dealing with a loss after a gut-wrenching narrow loss. The fact they avoided that owes plenty to the young star, fortune, and the strength of the substitutes. As the coach plots a course to the Six Nations, he has positive momentum after 11 wins in a row, and as a result we can forgive the lack of quality of the recent display.