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It is a curious feature of England's November perfect record that there were no debutants made their first cap during the series of matches, a scenario not seen in a quarter of a century. Yet, Max Ojomoh's display against Argentina while earning his second appearance felt like the arrival of a major talent.

Standout Performance in Tight Win

Ojomoh was the star turn in what was the team's least convincing performance of the autumn. He finished off the first try before creating the other two. The setup for his teammate via a exquisite long pass was the highlight play of the opening period. Likewise, his quick offload to the center for the team's final score was just as eye-catching, concluding a fine first outing at Twickenham for the 25-year-old.

Ojomoh possesses the kind of triple threat that all coaches 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 Bath this campaign.

Rapid Rise and Upcoming Opportunities

Only eight days since Steve Borthwick could have believed he had finally unearthed his midfield duo for the future. But, the best compliment that can be paid to the young star is that Borthwick might need to think again. Ojomoh was first called up to an national team previously, but had to bide his time until the final match of the overseas trip to make his debut. Injuries to teammates paved the way for him to start here, and he surely will be in consideration for a further appearance when the squad regroup to begin their championship quest in the new year.

• Multiple Abilities: Can play number ten and centre.
• Crucial Input: Scored one try and set up two more.
• Timely Impact: Delivered when others were injured.

Team Context and Wider Implications

Where might England have fared against Argentina without him? Certainly they rode their luck and perhaps it is no coincidence that he was their best player. The team showed an natural decline in intensity following a significant victory over the All Blacks. Maybe the coach ought to have made more changes.

A balanced view is needed, however. One might be inclined to criticize England for their failure to bring much intensity into this match, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were dominating. But, this outcome completes a clean sweep of four autumn fixtures for the initial occasion since recent years. The year concludes with eleven consecutive victories after starting with a defeat. We are midway in the four-year tournament plan and things look considerably rosier for Borthwick than they did at this stage.

Player Pool and Long-Term Strategy

The manager appears that, two years out from the global tournament, he understands the vast majority of the team he will take to Australia. Of course, there will be the surprise inclusion. But there are very few existing players of the roster who are not in contention for the upcoming event.

That represents an advantage because it was a problem for his predecessor, who struggled when it became apparent that veterans were not going to feature in his plans. He seems to have taken action earlier, avoiding the difficult start that affected the squad in the past.

Depth charts sound like they belong to seafarers of yesteryear, but managers rely on them and the coach can be happy with his. On another day, England might be dealing with a loss after a heartbreaking narrow loss. The fact they avoided that is largely due to Ojomoh, luck, and the strength of the substitutes. As Borthwick plans the route to the championship, he has positive momentum after 11 wins in a row, and as a result we can forgive the lack of quality of this performance.