🔗 Share this article

It is a interesting aspect of the English team's November clean sweep that there were no debutants earned their first cap throughout the recent campaign, something not seen in a quarter of a century. However, the performance of Max Ojomoh display against the Argentine side while earning his second appearance seemed to be the breakthrough of a future star.

Star Display in Hard-Fought Victory

He proved to be the star turn in what was the team's least convincing outing of the autumn. He finished off the first try before setting up the other two. His assist for his teammate via a exquisite cross-field kick was the champagne moment of the opening period. Similarly, his popped pass to the center for England's third try was just as impressive, capping off a fine debut performance at the home stadium for the 25-year-old.

Ojomoh possesses the kind of triple threat that all coaches desire from their inside-centre. He can run, kick and pass, and he has featured at fly-half and at both centre positions for his club this season.

Quick Rise and Future Opportunities

It is just a little over a week since Steve Borthwick could have believed he had finally unearthed his centre partnership for the long term. However, the highest praise that can be paid to the young star is that the coach might need to reconsider. He 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 him to start here, and he surely will be in consideration for a third cap when England regroup to begin their championship campaign in the new year.

• Multiple Abilities: Can play number ten and centre.
• Key Contributions: Scored one try and assisted two.
• Important Performance: Stepped up when others were unavailable.

Squad Context and Broader Significance

Where might England have fared against their opponents without Ojomoh? Certainly they rode their luck and maybe it is no coincidence that he was their standout performer. The team showed an inevitable drop-off in energy following a significant victory over the All Blacks. Maybe the coach should have freshened things up.

Some perspective is needed, though. It is tempting to criticize the side for their inability to bring much urgency into this contest, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were dominating. However, this outcome completes a perfect record of November matches for the first time since 2016. The year concludes with 11 straight wins after beginning with a loss. The team is halfway through the four-year tournament plan and things look much more positive for Borthwick than they did previously.

Player Pool and Long-Term Strategy

The manager appears that, two years out from the global tournament, he knows the vast majority of the team he will take to Australia. Naturally, there will be the odd bolter. Yet there are very few 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 predecessor, who struggled when it became apparent that veterans were not going to feature in his plans. Borthwick seems to have grasped the nettle earlier, avoiding the torrid beginning that plagued the team in the past.

Player rankings sound like they belong to sailors of yesteryear, but managers rely on them and Borthwick can be happy with his. Under different circumstances, England might be nursing their wounds after a gut-wrenching narrow loss. That they were not is largely due to Ojomoh, fortune, and the quality of England's bench. While Borthwick 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.