It is a curious aspect of the English team's November perfect record that there were no debutants earned their international debut during the recent campaign, a scenario not seen in 25 years. Yet, Max Ojomoh's display against the Argentine side while securing his second appearance seemed to be the arrival of a future star.
Ojomoh was the star turn in what was England's most challenging performance of the autumn. He scored the first try before setting up the remaining two. The setup for his teammate via a exquisite cross-field kick was the highlight play of the first half. Similarly, his popped pass to the center for England's third try was just as eye-catching, capping off a excellent first outing at Twickenham for the young player.
He has the sort of triple threat that all coaches desire from their midfield player. His abilities include running, kicking, and passing, and he has featured at number ten and at both centre positions for his club this campaign.
It is just eight days since Steve Borthwick could have believed he had discovered his centre partnership for the future. However, the highest praise that can be paid to the young star is that Borthwick might need to reconsider. Ojomoh was initially selected to an England squad four years ago, but had to wait until the final match of the overseas trip to earn his first cap. Injuries to other players created the opportunity for Ojomoh to begin here, and he undoubtedly will be in consideration for a third cap when the squad regroup to start their Six Nations campaign in the new year.
Where might the team have been against Argentina without him? Certainly they had some fortune and perhaps it is not surprising that he was their best player. England showed an inevitable drop-off in energy following a significant victory over the All Blacks. Perhaps the coach should have made more changes.
Some perspective is needed, though. It is tempting to lambast England for their inability to bring much urgency into this contest, or for nearly losing a fixture they were dominating. But, this result completes a perfect record of November matches for the first time since 2016. 2025 ends with 11 straight wins after starting with a loss. The team is midway in the World Cup cycle and things look considerably rosier for Borthwick than they did at this stage.
The manager gives the impression that, two years out from the World Cup, he understands the vast majority of the team he will bring to Australia. Naturally, there will be the surprise inclusion. Yet there are not many current members of the roster who are not in contention for the upcoming event.
This is an advantage because it posed an issue for his preceding coach, who struggled when it was clear that veterans were not going to play in his strategy. He seems to have grasped the nettle earlier, preventing the difficult beginning that affected the team in the previous cycle.
Depth charts sound like they belong to seafarers of the past, but managers rely on them and the coach can be satisfied with his. Under different circumstances, England might be dealing with a loss after a gut-wrenching late defeat. That they were not owes plenty to Ojomoh, fortune, and the strength of the substitutes. As Borthwick plots a course to the championship, he has positive momentum after an unbeaten run, and therefore we can forgive the lack of quality of the recent display.
Elara is a seasoned gaming journalist with a passion for slot mechanics and player strategies.
