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It is a curious feature of the English team's autumn clean sweep that there were no debutants made their first cap throughout the series of matches, a scenario not seen in a quarter of a century. Yet, Max Ojomoh's showing against the Argentine side while earning his second cap felt like the breakthrough of a major talent.

Standout Display in Hard-Fought Win

Ojomoh was the star turn in what was England's least convincing outing of the autumn. He scored the first try before setting up the other two. His assist for his teammate via a delightful long pass was the highlight play of the opening period. Likewise, his popped pass to Henry Slade for the team's final score was just as eye-catching, capping off a fine first outing at Twickenham for the 25-year-old.

Ojomoh possesses the kind of triple threat that every manager desire from their inside-centre. His abilities include running, kicking, and passing, and he has featured at number ten and at both centre positions for his club this campaign.

Rapid Ascent and Upcoming Opportunities

It is just eight days since the head coach could have believed he had discovered his centre partnership for the long term. However, the highest praise that can be paid to the young star is that Borthwick may have to reconsider. Ojomoh was initially selected to an England squad four years ago, but had to bide his time until the final match of the summer tour to make his debut. Injuries to teammates created the opportunity for him to start here, and he surely will be in consideration for a third cap when England reconvene to begin their championship campaign in the coming months.

• Multiple Abilities: Can play fly-half and centre.
• Key Contributions: Scored one try and set up two more.
• Timely Impact: Stepped up when teammates were unavailable.

Squad Context and Broader Implications

Where might the team have been against Argentina without him? Certainly they had some fortune and perhaps it is not surprising that he was their best player. England showed an natural decline in energy following a major win over New Zealand. Perhaps Borthwick should have freshened things up.

A balanced view is required, however. It is tempting to criticize the side for their inability to inject much intensity into this contest, or for almost throwing away a game they were dominating. However, this result completes a perfect record of November matches for the initial occasion since recent years. The year ends with 11 straight wins after starting with a defeat. We are halfway through the World Cup cycle and things look considerably rosier for the coach than they did previously.

Squad Depth and Long-Term Strategy

The manager gives the impression that, with time remaining from the global tournament, he understands the vast majority of the squad he will bring to Australia. Naturally, there will be the surprise inclusion. But there are not many existing players of the roster who are not on track for the upcoming event.

This is an advantage because it posed an issue for his preceding coach, who struggled when it became apparent that certain players were not going to feature in his plans. Borthwick seems to have taken action sooner, preventing the torrid beginning that affected the squad in the previous cycle.

Depth charts seem like they are for seafarers of yesteryear, but coaches rely on them and Borthwick can be happy with his. On another day, the team might be dealing with a loss after a heartbreaking narrow loss. The fact they avoided that owes plenty to Ojomoh, luck, and the strength of England's bench. While Borthwick plots a course to the championship, he has positive momentum after an unbeaten run, and as a result we can forgive the paucity of the recent display.