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It is a curious feature of England's autumn clean sweep that no new players earned their international debut during the series of matches, a scenario not seen in 25 years. However, Max Ojomoh's display against Argentina while earning his second cap seemed to be the arrival of a major talent.

Standout Performance in Tight Win

He proved to be the key player in what was the team's most challenging outing of the autumn. He scored the opening touchdown before setting up the other two. The setup for his teammate via a delightful cross-field kick was the champagne moment of the opening period. Similarly, his quick offload to Henry Slade for the team's final score was just as impressive, concluding a fine debut performance at the home stadium for the 25-year-old.

Ojomoh possesses the sort of versatile skillset that all coaches desire from their midfield player. He can run, kick and pass, and he has featured at fly-half and at both centre positions for his club this season.

Quick Ascent and Upcoming Opportunities

It is just a little over a week since the head coach could have believed he had discovered his midfield duo for the long term. However, the best compliment that can be given to Ojomoh is that the coach may have to reconsider. Ojomoh was first called up to an national team previously, but had to bide his time until the last game of the summer tour to make his debut. Injuries to teammates paved the way for him to begin here, and he surely will be in contention for a further appearance when the squad regroup to start their Six Nations campaign in the coming months.

• Multiple Abilities: Excels at fly-half and centre.
• Crucial Input: Scored one try and set up two more.
• Timely Impact: Stepped up when others were injured.

Team Background and Wider Significance

Where might the team have fared against Argentina without Ojomoh? Undoubtedly they rode their luck and perhaps it is not surprising that he was their best player. England experienced an natural decline in intensity following a significant victory over New Zealand. Perhaps the coach should 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 contest, or for nearly losing a game they were controlling. However, this result completes a clean sweep of four autumn fixtures for the first time since 2016. 2025 ends with 11 straight wins after starting with a loss. We are halfway through the World Cup cycle and the situation look considerably rosier for Borthwick than they did at this stage.

Squad Depth and Future Planning

Borthwick appears 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. Yet there are very few existing players of the roster who are not on track for the upcoming event.

That represents an advantage because it posed an issue for his predecessor, who struggled when it was clear that veterans were not going to feature in his plans. He seems to have grasped the nettle earlier, avoiding the torrid beginning that affected the team in the previous cycle.

Player rankings sound like they are for sailors of yesteryear, but managers swear by them and the coach can be happy with his. On another day, England might be dealing with a loss after a heartbreaking late defeat. That they were not is largely due to the young star, fortune, and the quality of the substitutes. As Borthwick plans the route to the Six Nations, he has wind in England's sails after an unbeaten run, and as a result we can overlook the lack of quality of the recent display.