It is a curious feature of England's autumn perfect record that no new players made their first cap throughout the series of matches, a scenario not seen in 25 years. However, Max Ojomoh's showing against Argentina while earning his second appearance seemed to be the breakthrough of a future star.
He proved to be the star turn in what was England's most challenging performance of the November series. He finished off the first try before setting up the remaining two. His assist for his teammate via a exquisite long pass was the champagne moment of the opening period. Similarly, his quick offload to Henry Slade for England's third try was equally impressive, capping off a fine debut performance at Twickenham for the 25-year-old.
He has the sort of triple threat that every manager would want from their midfield player. He can run, kick and pass, and he has featured at fly-half and at multiple midfield roles for his club this season.
Only a little over a week since the head coach might have felt he had discovered his centre partnership for the future. However, the highest praise that can be paid to the young star is that the coach might need to think again. He was initially selected to an England squad four years ago, but had to wait until the last game of the overseas trip to make his debut. Fitness issues to teammates created the opportunity for Ojomoh to begin here, and he surely will be in contention for a further appearance when England regroup to start their championship quest in the coming months.
How would the team have fared against Argentina without Ojomoh? Undoubtedly they rode their luck and perhaps it is not surprising that he was their standout performer. The team experienced an inevitable drop-off in energy following a major win over the All Blacks. Maybe the coach ought to have freshened things up.
A balanced view is needed, though. One might be inclined to lambast the side for their failure to inject much urgency into this match, or for nearly losing a fixture they were dominating. However, this outcome marks a perfect record of four autumn fixtures for the initial occasion since 2016. The year concludes with 11 straight wins after starting with a defeat. The team is halfway through the World Cup cycle and things look considerably rosier for Borthwick than they did previously.
The manager gives the impression that, two years out from the World Cup, he understands the vast majority of the squad he will bring to Australia. Of course, there will be the surprise inclusion. Yet there are not many current members of the roster who are not in contention for the 2027 tournament.
That represents an advantage because it was a problem for his predecessor, who found it difficult when it was clear that veterans were not going to feature in his strategy. Borthwick seems to have grasped the nettle sooner, avoiding the difficult beginning that plagued the team in the past.
Player rankings sound like they belong to seafarers of the past, but managers rely on them and the coach can be satisfied with his. Under different circumstances, the team 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 quality of the bench. As the coach plans the route to the championship, he has wind in England's sails after 11 wins in a row, and therefore we can forgive the lack of quality of this performance.
Elara is a passionate esports journalist with over a decade of experience covering major gaming events and trends.