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It is a curious aspect of England's November clean sweep that no new players made their first cap throughout the series of matches, a scenario not seen in a quarter of a century. Yet, the performance of Max Ojomoh showing against Argentina while earning his second cap seemed to be the arrival of a future star.

Standout Display in Hard-Fought Win

He proved to be the key player in what was the team's most challenging performance of the autumn. He scored the opening touchdown before creating the remaining two. His assist for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a delightful cross-field kick was the champagne moment of the first half. Similarly, his popped pass to the center for the team's third try was just as impressive, capping off a excellent debut performance at the home stadium for the young player.

He has the sort of versatile skillset that all coaches desire from their inside-centre. He can run, kick and pass, and he has appeared at number ten and at multiple midfield roles for Bath this campaign.

Rapid Ascent and Upcoming Prospects

Only a little over a week since the head coach might have felt he had discovered his centre partnership for the future. However, the best compliment that can be paid to Ojomoh is that Borthwick might need to think again. He was first called up to an England squad four years ago, but had to bide his time until the final match of the overseas trip to make his debut. Fitness issues to other players created the opportunity for him to begin here, and he surely will be in contention for a third cap when the squad regroup to begin their championship quest in the coming months.

• Multiple Abilities: Can play number ten and centre.
• Key Contributions: Notched a touchdown and assisted two.
• Important Performance: Delivered when others were unavailable.

Team Context and Wider Significance

How would England have been against their opponents without Ojomoh? Certainly they rode their luck and perhaps it is no coincidence that he was their best player. England showed an inevitable drop-off in intensity following a significant victory over the All Blacks. Maybe Borthwick should have made more changes.

Some perspective is needed, however. One might be inclined to lambast the side for their inability to inject much intensity into this match, or for nearly losing a game they were controlling. However, this outcome marks a clean sweep of November matches for the first time since 2016. The year ends with 11 straight wins after beginning with a defeat. The team is halfway through the World Cup cycle and things look considerably rosier for the coach than they did at this stage.

Player Pool and Future Planning

Borthwick appears that, with time remaining from the World Cup, he understands the vast majority of the squad he will take to Australia. Of course, there will be the odd bolter. Yet there are not many current members of the roster who are not on track for the upcoming event.

That represents an benefit because it was a problem for his preceding coach, who struggled when it was clear that certain players were not going to play in his strategy. Borthwick seems to have taken action earlier, avoiding the difficult beginning that affected the squad in the previous cycle.

Player rankings sound like they belong to seafarers of yesteryear, but managers rely on them and Borthwick can be happy with his. On another day, England 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 strength of England's bench. While the coach 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 lack of quality of this performance.