🔗 Share this article

This marks a curious feature of England's November perfect record that no new players made their international debut during the recent campaign, something not seen in 25 years. However, the performance of Max Ojomoh showing against Argentina while earning his second appearance seemed to be the arrival of a major talent.

Standout Display in Hard-Fought Win

He proved to be the star turn in what was the team's least convincing performance of the November series. He finished off the opening touchdown before creating the other two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a delightful long pass was the champagne moment of the opening period. Similarly, his quick offload to the center for the team's third try was just as eye-catching, capping off a excellent debut performance at Twickenham for the young player.

He has the sort of versatile skillset that every manager would want from their inside-centre. His abilities include running, kicking, and passing, and he has appeared at fly-half and at multiple midfield roles for his club this season.

Rapid Rise and Future Prospects

Only a little over a week since the head coach might have felt he had finally unearthed his midfield duo for the future. But, the highest praise that can be given to Ojomoh is that the coach might need to reconsider. Ojomoh was initially selected to an national team previously, but had to bide his time until the last game 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 consideration for a third cap when England reconvene to begin their championship quest in the new year.

• Versatile Skillset: Can play number ten and centre.
• Key Contributions: Notched a touchdown and set up two more.
• Timely Impact: Stepped up when teammates were unavailable.

Squad Background and Broader Significance

How would the team have been against Argentina without him? Undoubtedly they rode their luck and perhaps it is no coincidence that he was their standout performer. England experienced an inevitable drop-off in energy following a significant victory over New Zealand. Perhaps Borthwick should have made more changes.

A balanced view is required, however. One might be inclined to lambast the side for their failure to bring much urgency into this contest, or for nearly losing a game they were dominating. However, this outcome marks a clean sweep of November matches for the initial occasion since recent years. 2025 ends with eleven consecutive victories after starting with a loss. We are halfway through the four-year tournament plan and things look considerably rosier for Borthwick than they did at this stage.

Player Pool and Future Planning

The manager gives the impression that, two years out from the global tournament, he understands the vast majority of the squad he will take to Australia. Of course, there will be the odd bolter. But there are very few current members of the squad who are not on track for the 2027 tournament.

That represents an advantage because it posed an issue for his predecessor, who struggled when it was clear that certain players were not going to feature in his plans. Borthwick seems to have grasped the nettle earlier, preventing the difficult beginning that plagued the squad in the past.

Player rankings sound like they belong to sailors of the past, but managers swear by them and the coach can be satisfied with his. On another day, the team might be nursing their wounds after a heartbreaking late defeat. That they were not owes plenty to the young star, luck, and the quality of England's bench. While Borthwick plans the route to the Six Nations, he has wind in England's sails after an unbeaten run, and therefore we can forgive the paucity of this performance.