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It is a curious aspect of the English team's autumn clean sweep that there were no debutants made their international debut throughout the recent campaign, something not seen in 25 years. Yet, Max Ojomoh's display against the Argentine side while securing his second appearance felt like the breakthrough of a future star.

Standout Display in Tight Win

He proved to be the star turn in what was England's least convincing outing of the autumn. He finished off the first try before creating the remaining two. The setup for his teammate via a exquisite cross-field kick was the highlight play of the opening period. Similarly, his quick offload to Henry Slade for England's final score was equally eye-catching, concluding a excellent first outing at the home stadium for the young player.

Ojomoh possesses 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 Bath this season.

Rapid Ascent and Future Opportunities

It is just eight days since the head coach could have believed he had finally unearthed his centre partnership for the long term. But, the best compliment that can be given to Ojomoh is that Borthwick may have to think again. Ojomoh was initially selected to an national team previously, but had to bide his time until the final match of the overseas trip to earn his first cap. Injuries to other players created the opportunity for him to begin here, and he surely will be in contention for a third cap when England reconvene to start their championship campaign in the new year.

• Versatile Skillset: Can play fly-half and midfield.
• Key Contributions: Scored one try and set up two more.
• Important Performance: Delivered when teammates were unavailable.

Team Background and Wider Implications

Where might the team have fared against Argentina without him? Certainly they rode their luck and perhaps it is not surprising that he was their best player. The team showed an inevitable drop-off in intensity following a significant victory over New Zealand. Perhaps Borthwick should have made more changes.

Some perspective is required, though. One might be inclined to lambast England for their inability to bring much urgency into this match, or for nearly losing a game they were dominating. But, this result completes a clean sweep of four autumn fixtures for the initial occasion since 2016. The year concludes with 11 straight wins after starting with a loss. The team is midway in the four-year tournament plan and things look much more positive for Borthwick than they did previously.

Squad Depth and Future Planning

Borthwick gives the impression that, with time remaining from the World Cup, he knows the vast majority of the squad he will take to Australia. Naturally, there will be the odd bolter. Yet there are not many existing players of the squad who are not on track for the upcoming event.

That represents an advantage because it posed an issue for his predecessor, who struggled when it was clear that veterans were not going to feature in his strategy. Borthwick seems to have grasped the nettle earlier, avoiding the torrid start that affected the squad in the past.

Player rankings sound like they are for seafarers of yesteryear, but coaches swear by them and Borthwick can be happy with his. Under different circumstances, the team might be dealing with a loss after a gut-wrenching narrow loss. The fact they avoided that is largely due to the young star, fortune, and the strength of the substitutes. While Borthwick plots a course to the championship, he has wind in England's sails after an unbeaten run, and as a result we can forgive the lack of quality of the recent display.