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This marks 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 25 years. However, Max Ojomoh's showing against Argentina while securing his second cap seemed to be the breakthrough of a major talent.

Star Performance in Hard-Fought Victory

Ojomoh was the star turn in what was England's most challenging performance of the autumn. He scored the first try before creating the remaining two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a exquisite cross-field kick was the highlight play of the first half. Likewise, his popped pass to Henry Slade for England's final score was equally eye-catching, capping off a excellent first outing at the home stadium for the 25-year-old.

He has the kind of versatile skillset that every manager would want from their midfield player. He can run, kick and pass, and he has appeared at fly-half and at multiple midfield roles for his club this campaign.

Rapid Rise and Upcoming Opportunities

Only eight days since Steve Borthwick could have believed he had discovered his centre partnership for the long term. However, the highest praise that can be given to Ojomoh is that Borthwick may have to reconsider. Ojomoh was initially selected to an England squad four years ago, but had to wait until the last game of the summer tour to earn his first cap. Injuries to teammates created the opportunity for him to start here, and he undoubtedly will be in consideration for a third cap when the squad reconvene to start their championship campaign in the new year.

• Multiple Abilities: Can play fly-half and midfield.
• Crucial Input: Scored one try and set up two more.
• Important Performance: Stepped up when teammates were injured.

Team Context and Wider Significance

How would England have fared against their opponents without him? Certainly they rode their luck and maybe it is not surprising that he was their best player. England showed an natural decline in intensity following a major win over New Zealand. Maybe the coach should have made more changes.

A balanced view is required, though. One might be inclined to criticize England for their failure to bring much intensity into this contest, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were dominating. But, this outcome completes a clean sweep of four autumn fixtures for the first time since recent years. The year concludes with 11 straight wins after beginning with a defeat. The team is midway in the four-year tournament plan and the situation look much more positive for the coach than they did previously.

Squad Depth and Future Planning

The manager appears that, two years out from the global tournament, he knows the core group of the squad he will bring to Australia. Of course, there will be the surprise inclusion. But there are not many current members of the squad who are not on track for the 2027 tournament.

That represents an benefit because it was a problem for his preceding coach, who struggled when it was clear that veterans were not going to feature in his plans. Borthwick seems to have grasped the nettle earlier, preventing the difficult start that plagued the squad in the previous cycle.

Depth charts sound like they are for sailors of the past, but coaches swear by them and the coach can be happy with his. Under different circumstances, the team might be dealing with a loss after a gut-wrenching late defeat. The fact they avoided that owes plenty to Ojomoh, luck, and the strength of the substitutes. While Borthwick plots a course to the Six Nations, he has wind in England's sails after an unbeaten run, and therefore we can overlook the lack of quality of this performance.