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This marks a interesting feature of the English team's autumn perfect record that there were no debutants earned their first cap during the series of matches, something not seen in a quarter of a century. Yet, Max Ojomoh's showing against the Argentine side while securing his second cap felt like the arrival of a major talent.

Standout Performance in Hard-Fought Win

Ojomoh was the key player in what was the team's least convincing outing of the November series. He finished off the first try before creating the remaining two. His assist for his teammate via a exquisite long pass was the highlight play of the opening period. Similarly, his popped pass to Henry Slade for the team's final score was equally eye-catching, capping off a fine first outing at the home stadium for the young player.

Ojomoh possesses the kind of triple threat that all coaches would want from their midfield player. His abilities include running, kicking, and passing, and he has appeared at fly-half and at multiple midfield roles for his club this campaign.

Rapid Rise and Upcoming Prospects

It is just a little over a week since Steve Borthwick could have believed he had finally unearthed his midfield duo for the long term. But, the best compliment that can be given to Ojomoh is that the coach may have to reconsider. He was initially selected to an national team previously, but had to bide his time until the last game of the overseas trip to earn his first cap. Fitness issues to other players paved the way for Ojomoh to begin here, and he undoubtedly will be in consideration for a further appearance when the squad reconvene to start their championship quest in the coming months.

• Versatile Skillset: Excels at number ten and midfield.
• Key Contributions: Notched a touchdown and set up two more.
• Important Performance: Delivered when others were unavailable.

Team Context and Wider Significance

Where might the team have fared against Argentina without Ojomoh? Certainly they had some fortune and maybe it is not surprising that he was their best player. The team showed an natural decline in energy following a major win over New Zealand. Maybe the coach should have freshened things up.

Some perspective is required, though. It is tempting to criticize England for their failure to bring much intensity into this match, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were controlling. But, this result marks a perfect record of four autumn fixtures for the first time since 2016. The year concludes with eleven consecutive victories after beginning with a defeat. We are halfway through the four-year tournament plan and the situation look much more positive for the coach than they did at this stage.

Player Pool and Long-Term Strategy

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 existing players of the roster who are not in contention for the 2027 tournament.

That represents an advantage because it was a problem for his predecessor, who found it difficult when it became apparent that certain players were not going to feature in his strategy. He seems to have taken action sooner, preventing the torrid start that affected the team in the past.

Player rankings seem like they belong to sailors of the past, but managers swear by them and Borthwick 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 bench. While 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.