Max Ojomoh Provides Champagne Moment for England to Signify Arrival on Grand Platform.
It is a interesting aspect of the English team's November perfect record that no new players earned their first cap throughout the series of matches, something not seen in a quarter of a century. However, Max Ojomoh's showing against the Argentine side while securing his second appearance seemed to be the arrival of a future star.
Star Performance in Tight Victory
Ojomoh was the star turn in what was England's least convincing performance of the November series. He finished off the first try before setting up the other two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a delightful long pass was the highlight play of the first half. Similarly, his popped pass to Henry Slade for England's final score was equally impressive, concluding a fine debut performance at the home stadium for the young player.
Ojomoh possesses the sort of triple threat that all coaches would want from their midfield player. His abilities include running, kicking, and passing, and he has featured at fly-half and at multiple midfield roles for his club this campaign.
Quick Rise and Upcoming Opportunities
Only a little over a week since the head coach could have believed he had discovered his centre partnership for the future. But, the best compliment that can be given to Ojomoh is that the coach might need to think again. He was initially selected to an national team previously, but had to wait until the final match of the overseas trip to earn his first cap. Fitness issues to other players paved the way for Ojomoh to begin here, and he surely will be in consideration for a third cap when England reconvene to start their championship quest in the coming months.
- Multiple Abilities: Can play number ten and midfield.
- Crucial Input: Notched a touchdown and assisted two.
- Important Performance: Stepped up when others were unavailable.
Squad Context and Wider Implications
How would the team have fared against Argentina without Ojomoh? Certainly they rode their luck and perhaps it is no coincidence that he was their standout performer. England showed an natural decline in intensity following a major win over New Zealand. Maybe the coach should have freshened things up.
A balanced view is needed, however. 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 result marks a clean sweep of November matches for the initial occasion since recent years. 2025 concludes with eleven consecutive victories after starting with a loss. The team is halfway through the four-year tournament plan and the situation look much more positive for Borthwick than they did at this stage.
Squad Depth and Future Planning
Borthwick gives the impression that, two years out from the World Cup, he knows the vast majority of the squad he will take to the host nation. Of course, there will be the surprise inclusion. Yet there are not many existing players of the squad who are not in contention for the upcoming event.
That represents an benefit because it posed an issue for his preceding coach, who struggled when it became apparent that veterans were not going to feature in his plans. He seems to have taken action sooner, avoiding the torrid start that affected the team in the past.
Depth charts sound like they belong to sailors of the past, but coaches rely on them and Borthwick can be happy with his. On another day, England might be nursing their wounds after a gut-wrenching narrow loss. The fact they avoided that owes plenty to the young star, fortune, and the strength of England's bench. As Borthwick plans the route to the Six Nations, he has positive momentum after an unbeaten run, and as a result we can overlook the paucity of this performance.