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It is a curious aspect of England's November clean sweep that no new players earned their international debut throughout the series of matches, a scenario not seen in a quarter of a century. However, Max Ojomoh's showing against Argentina while earning his second cap felt like the arrival of a future star.

Star Display in Hard-Fought Victory

He proved to be the star turn in what was England's most challenging outing of the autumn. He scored the opening touchdown before creating the remaining two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a delightful cross-field kick was the highlight play of the opening period. Similarly, his popped pass to Henry Slade for the team's final score was equally eye-catching, concluding a fine first outing at the home stadium for the 25-year-old.

He has the kind of versatile skillset that all coaches would want from their midfield player. He can run, kick and pass, and he has featured at number ten and at both centre positions for Bath this campaign.

Quick Rise and Future Prospects

It is just eight days since the head coach might have felt he had discovered his midfield duo for the future. However, the highest praise that can be paid to Ojomoh is that the coach may have to reconsider. 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. Fitness issues to teammates paved the way for him to start here, and he undoubtedly will be in consideration for a third cap when the squad regroup to start their championship campaign in the coming months.

• Multiple Abilities: Excels at number ten and centre.
• Key Contributions: Notched a touchdown and assisted two.
• Timely Impact: Delivered when others were injured.

Squad Context and Wider Implications

How would the team have been against Argentina without Ojomoh? Certainly they had some fortune and perhaps it is no coincidence that he was their standout performer. The team showed an natural decline in energy following a major win over New Zealand. Perhaps the coach should have freshened things up.

Some perspective is required, however. It is tempting to lambast the side for their failure to inject much intensity into this match, or for almost throwing away a fixture they were controlling. But, this result marks a clean sweep of four autumn fixtures for the initial occasion since recent years. The year ends with eleven consecutive victories after beginning with a loss. We are halfway through the four-year tournament plan and things look much more positive for the coach than they did previously.

Player Pool and Long-Term Strategy

The manager gives the impression that, two years out from the World Cup, he knows the vast majority of the team he will take to Australia. Of course, there will be the surprise inclusion. But there are not many current members of the roster who are not in contention for the upcoming event.

That represents an advantage because it posed an issue for his preceding coach, who found it difficult when it was clear that certain players were not going to play in his plans. Borthwick seems to have taken action sooner, avoiding the torrid start that plagued the team in the past.

Depth charts sound like they are for seafarers of yesteryear, but managers swear by them and Borthwick can be satisfied with his. On another day, the team might be nursing their wounds after a gut-wrenching narrow loss. That they were not is largely due to Ojomoh, luck, and the quality of the substitutes. As Borthwick plots a course to the championship, he has positive momentum after 11 wins in a row, and therefore we can overlook the lack of quality of this performance.