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It is a curious aspect of the English team's autumn 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. However, the performance of Max Ojomoh display against Argentina while earning his second cap felt like the breakthrough of a future star.

Standout Performance in Hard-Fought Win

He proved to be the star turn in what was England's least convincing performance of the autumn. He scored the first try before creating the remaining two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a delightful long pass was the highlight play of the opening period. Similarly, his popped pass to Henry Slade for England's third try was just as eye-catching, concluding a excellent debut performance at Twickenham for the young player.

He has the kind of versatile skillset that all coaches desire from their inside-centre. He can run, kick and pass, and he has featured at number ten and at both centre positions for Bath this season.

Rapid Ascent and Future Opportunities

It is just a little over a week since Steve Borthwick might have felt he had discovered his centre partnership for the long term. However, the highest praise that can be given to the young star is that the coach may have to reconsider. He was first called up to an England squad previously, but had to bide his time until the final match of the summer tour to earn his first cap. Fitness issues to other players created the opportunity for Ojomoh to begin here, and he surely will be in consideration for a third cap when the squad regroup to start their Six Nations campaign in the coming months.

• Versatile Skillset: Can play fly-half and centre.
• Crucial Input: Notched a touchdown and assisted two.
• Important Performance: Delivered when teammates were unavailable.

Squad Background and Broader Significance

Where might England have been against their opponents without him? Undoubtedly they rode their luck and perhaps it is no coincidence that he was their standout performer. The team showed an inevitable drop-off in energy following a major win over New Zealand. Maybe Borthwick should have made more changes.

A balanced view is needed, however. One might be inclined to lambast the side for their failure to bring much intensity into this contest, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were dominating. However, this outcome marks a clean sweep of four autumn fixtures for the first time since 2016. The year concludes with eleven consecutive victories after starting with a loss. The team is halfway through the World Cup cycle and things look much more positive for Borthwick than they did at this stage.

Squad Depth and Future Planning

The manager gives the impression that, with time remaining from the World Cup, he understands the vast majority of the team he will bring to the host nation. Naturally, there will be the odd bolter. But there are very few existing players of the squad who are not in contention for the 2027 tournament.

This is an benefit because it was a problem 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, preventing the difficult start that plagued the team in the previous cycle.

Player rankings sound like they belong to sailors of yesteryear, but coaches rely on them and the coach can be happy with his. On another day, England might be dealing with a loss after a gut-wrenching late defeat. The fact they avoided that owes plenty to Ojomoh, fortune, and the quality of the bench. As the coach plans the route to the championship, he has positive momentum after an unbeaten run, and as a result we can forgive the paucity of the recent display.